Fragmented Chaos
by Syaoron the Fox
Summary: Season 3 of Sonic X... with a twist! When a twin-tailed fox with a mysterious past crash-lands on planet Greengate, and reveals that he's the target of an organization that's hell bent on universal submission, peace is no longer an option. What kind of madness will ensue as he and a Seedrian family leave on an adventure that could determine the outcome of the universe?
1. Chapter 1

**AN: Hello viewers! Since I'm already writing a seperate story, this one will not be updated as often, so be patient with me please!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything from Sega or Sonic X.**

**Claimer: I own this plot and all original characters.**

* * *

A metal plated figure strode through the hall of his flagship, thoroughly pleased with today's events. As he paced through the halls, he was greeted by many Mobians that helped to operate the magnificent ship. The standard uniform was worn by all; a black combat suit with symbols on each shoulder. On the left shoulder was sewn their rank, while the right shoulder held the brand of their organization: a white circle with two white streaks spiraling around it.

"Greetings, Dark Spinel," a nearby eagle addressed the armored figure. "Are today's results of your liking?"

Dark Spinel nodded, his plated spines shaking as well. Their extinguishing of the feeble planet that was once their home had been most prosperous, and resounding was heard throughout the ship. Waving to the eagle, he said, "Walk with me, Commander Raurin."

Raurin saluted the armored hedgehog before following the order and walking beside him. "This will have been our first step towards uniting the universe, Dark Spinel." Raurin continued, exemplifying their eradication of the weak planet.

Dark Spinel nodded once more, looking outside a nearby window and into the depths of space. "Indeed, it is a great victory." He admitted, admiring their performance. With the awesome might of their Blue Typhoon battleship, made more amazing by the ships that accompanied it in its fleet, they had completely crushed all resistance.

"Has the Master Emerald been firmly secured?" the armored hedgehog then asked.

"It has, sir." Raurin confirmed. "The Master Emerald is in the powering chamber, and one of your leaders, Red Beryl, is supplying power with it."

As they arrived at the bridge, Dark Spinel nodded. "Excellent," he murmured while gazing toward the view he received outside of the bridge's front window. Below, he saw a ravaged planet, glazed over with fire and ash. There could be no life supported on the planet, as all sources of possible survival had been incinerated.

"This will forever be remembered," Dark spine spoke, relishing the moment, "… as the day when we broke free from our planet's bounds. When we rose above ourselves, and conquered all. Today, it is only one planet. Someday, all of the universe will be united under one districting power."

Raurin nodded, looking at him with utmost respect, before a thought occurred. "Sir, this would be your rule, correct?"

"Incorrect, Commander," Spinel denied. From his stand point on the bridge, he was able to look back and see the corridor to the powering chamber. He could see the Master Emerald's distinctive green glare from even there. "On the day when our mission is complete, you will understand."

Raurin reluctantly took his answer with acceptance. "And, what of our Planet Egg?" He then asked to their leader.

"It has been taken," the hedgehog responded, directing Raurin's attention to a small pedestal which it stood upon. The green, egg-shaped gem depicted spiraling galaxies inside of it while crystals began to grow off the edges of it.

"What about the fox, sir?" Raurin questioned, "He was the only one who escaped."

Dark Spinel only laughed in spite. "The fox is of no concern to us, but we need those Chaos Emeralds. We of the Gemmarex will easily hunt him down, when the time comes."

**/\/\/\/\|\/\/\/\/**

_**Syaoron the Fox presents**_

_**Fragmented Chaos**_

_**Chapter 1**_

_**Welcome to Greengate**_

**/\/\/\/\|\/\/\/\/**

Planet Greengate

November-17-3199

20:15 Universal Time

_[Now Playing: __**"Canon in D" by: Mike Strickland**__]_

It was late at night when a quartet of sisters could be seen, sitting atop a hill. These sisters –all being of the Seedrian race; females being known as 'Petali' –hadn't a care in the world. Tonight though, was scheduled by the universe to be a special night.

"When will it start, Galaxina?" One of the young girls spoke; her blue eyes glistening in the moonlight. She wore a green dress, highlighted with white petals to form the skirt which were also lined with green. Atop her breast, she wore a red gem; an amulet of some kind. In her green hair, two budded roses protruded, and the hair only dropped to chin level.

"I'm not sure, Cosmo." The sister named Galaxina answered. She wore a similar dress, colored blue with white petals for the skirt, and a green amulet was worn over the dress. Her blue, shoulder length hair was adorned with a single, large white flower, its five petals extending over her hair. The orange stigma perfectly contrasted to her purple eyes. "All we know is that it's predicted to come tonight."

"What if we've already missed it?" Another sister –named Starla –suggested. She had dark green hair, styled similarly to Cosmo's, though the bangs hung over her eyes. She had two purple buds in her hair, which appeared to be violets, and her dress was purple to say the least, as well as the petals that made up her skirt. Poised on her dress was an azure amulet. "Maybe it's too late! What if it already…"

"I'm sure it's fine, Starla." The final sister –Daisy –answered. Her dress had a fall scheme, with a reddish-brown dress, while the white petals were highlighted with orange. She had a yellow amulet on her chest to match her golden hair, which was also cut down to her chin. However, she had two locks of hair that extended outward, behind her head as well and she had two bulging brown buds atop her head. "Father's scientists are rarely wrong."

As they waited, gazing up into the stars with hopeful expressions, their reward was finally given. As though the heavens were falling, bright streaks of light began to grace the night sky. "Look, the meteor shower is starting!" Galaxina pointed out.

Without a moment's notice, Daisy held her hands together and closed her eyes. "What are you doing, Daisy?" Cosmo asked, gazing at her sister in wonder. Why would someone want to close their eyes for such an extravagant event?

"Don't you know, little sister?" Daisy spoke with a hint of surprise. "Mother told us that if you make a wish during a meteor shower, it'll come true."

Cosmo's eyes were alight with amazement. _Any wish at all? _She thought innocently as she gazed back at the streaking lights, before clasping her hands together as well.

Soon, the four sisters were all praying to the stars for their hearts' desires. When they had all their thoughts expressed, the sisters opened their eyes to lay witness to a streak of light that seemed larger than the rest, and it was growing. "Hey, what's that?" Starla asked, observing the growing light.

As Galaxina studied it, she soon came to a conclusion about the comet. "It's coming straight for us!" She shouted, signaling for all of them to duck down.

The streaking meteorite whizzed overhead, and the Petali sisters could feel the heat emanating from it. A moment later, the light died down and gave way to a huge crash in its wake.

Cosmo slowly peeked up from her prone position and saw that in the epicenter of the crash was a small pod, just big enough to hold a single person. She motioned for her sisters to stand up and they all clambered down into the crater, wanting to see what exactly was inside of the pod.

As they peered at the pod, a hissing sound came from it, making Galaxina shudder in fright. Steam seemed to be coming from one end of the pod as a door opened up, revealing a figure which appeared to be a two tailed fox, clutching onto a small sack as if for dear life.

With this analysis brought shaking to Daisy as she hid behind Galaxina, wanting her older sister for protection. "Galaxina, is that a… animal?" She asked, shivering from behind the blue-dressed Seedrian.

Galaxina nodded, examining the figure. "That's an animal if I ever saw one." She confirmed, confused by her younger sister's fright.

"Didn't father say that animals are mean to us?" Daisy asked, continuing to stare at the creature with anxiety.

"Not all animals, Daisy." Galaxina corrected her, "Only the ones that we had our most recent war with."

There was a pause, with complete silence beside the fox murmuring things in his slumber. When Cosmo had taken enough of the silence, she shouted out, "We can't just leave him here! We have to take him home!"

They all looked at her in surprise, not having expected such a noble suggestion from the youngest of them all. Cosmo was only ten years old after all. But having heard the mature suggestion from her youngest sibling inspired Galaxina to walk over to the pod and carefully extract the body.

As she held the fox in her arms, she noticed the physique which insinuated that he was indeed male. She chuckled at what her mother would think when they brought home a two-tailed, male fox.

"Alright girls, let's go." Galaxina ordered and the quartet began the short walk to a mansion in the distance, with their unconscious companion in tow.

_[Stop Music]_

/\/\/\/\|\/\/\/\/

Unknown Location

November-18-3199

6:25 Universal Time

Tails ran through the metal halls of a battleship, trying to escape what was bound to catch him sooner or later. He panted, almost out of breath while he clung tight to a small satchel. He leant up against a wall, thinking that maybe he had finally put enough distance between him and his pursuer.

He then snapped his eyes open and remember who was chasing him. No amount of distance was enough; he had to completely avoid him. As he continued running for his life, he rounded a corner and saw a pink hedgehog running toward him.

"Amy!" He shouted to her, seeing the large gash in her side. When the distance had finally closed between the two, Amy fell into his arms and he examined her wound. It looked really bad; she could bleed out any moment now.

"Tails, listen to me." She spoke with a raspy voice, tears flowing down your eyes. "Run away Tails. Run away and never come back."

Tails gasped as he heard her request. "No Amy! I won't leave you behind, you're my friend!" He simply denied, with tears of his own beginning to stain her red dress.

"It's too late for me, Tails." Amy quietly muttered, "Go; save yourself."

"But, what about you?" Tails shouted, uncaring for whether or not someone was listening. "I can't just let him find you!"

Amy's eyes began to flutter as she said a few words, "I'm just dead weight to you, Tails. You have to… get out of here…"

Tails waited, wanting to hear what she had to say, but slowly realized that she was already too far gone. "No," Tails muttered as he sat there with her corpse. "No Amy! Please, don't go! I need help! Who did this to you?"

His final question was answered as an armored figure stepped through the door. Tails twitched his head in the direction of the figure to see a metal plated hedgehog unveiled through the door; his right handed gauntlet was stained with blood.

"How could you?" Tails yelled at the figure. "Why did you have to do these things? I TRUSTED YOU SONIC! WHY DID YOU DO IT?"

His questions went unanswered as the figure approached. Then, everything went black…

/\/\/\/\|\/\/\/\/

"NO!" Tails shouted as he jolted up from sleep. It had been a nightmare… but that nightmare was only a fraction of the memory that he had of that event.

He padded his hands against the surface which he'd lied down upon and felt that it was soft… squishy, even. One thing was for sure; it wasn't the cold seat of his pod that he'd expected. As his vision cleared up, he noticed that he'd been sleeping in what seemed to be an average house.

_Was I dreaming? _Tails thought as he stood up, walking around the room. He then thought of one possibility that made him gasp, _What if none of it ever happened? Maybe __**all **__of it was a dream!_

With that thought in mind, Tails ran out of the room, and into the foyer of what seemed to be a mansion. Not caring for his current whereabouts, he ran through the halls. "SONIC!" He shouted, cupping his hands around his mouth to echo his voice. "ANYBODY?"

He heard a lazy yawn and turned quickly, hoping it was one of his friends. When he realized that the woman was not anyone he knew, or not of any race he knew, he had to ask, "Excuse me ma'am, I'm looking for someone."

The woman had ice blue eyes, with matching hair that extended down to her heels and a single five-petal flower sat atop her head with a yellow stigma. Two vines grew out of the stigma, flowing down as far as her hair did. She wore a fine white dress, with gold highlights at the wrist and neck, while green outlined the petals that made up her skirt. "Ah, so _you're _the boy that the girls brought in." She mused, while examining him.

"I-I'm sorry ma'am, but I'm looking for someone." Tails stuttered, looking around frightfully." I'm looking for a person by the name of 'Sonic the Hedgehog'."

The woman looked at him confusedly. "I'm sorry child, but animals seldom live on planet Greengate; let alone hedgehogs."

"Planet Greengate?" Tails shouted in surprise, since to his knowledge, he was still on Mobius.

"Yes," The woman answered, "Your pod crash-landed on this planet last night, and it looked pretty banged up."

Tails' eyes widened in shock while his pupils shrank. "My… pod…" he muttered, before all of the horrible memories came back. In an instant, the death of hundreds flashed before his eyes, and Amy's limp body was once again held in his arms. He could finally take no more, and simply fainted.

Tails fell backward, and into the arms of a reptile-like creature –the male species of Seedrian: Thorndrigans. His skin was a pale purple color, over which he wore a dark blue robe. Atop his head, peaking above his flowing amethyst colored hair, were two large, cone shaped brown thorns. "Hertia, am I to assume that this is the boy that our daughters brought in?" He asked the Petali woman, thusly named 'Hertia'.

"He is indeed, Lucas." She answered, knowing her husband's very thoughts.

Lucas gave a distrusting glare to the two-tailed fox kit in his arms. "But honey, he's a…"

"An animal, yes," Hertia finished his sentence for him. Looking at the kit now, she saw that he was simply a young boy who was in need of help. "Still, I don't think he poses any threat."

Though the Thorndrigan was still spiteful of animals, he decided to take his wife's word and he walked down the hall to return the boy to his bed.

/\/\/\/\|\/\/\/\/

_[Now Playing: __**"Cristofori's Dream" by: David Lanz**__]_

A few hours later, Hertia and Lucas entered the guest's room to find that all of their daughters were waiting for him to wake up again. Hertia sighed as she noticed all of their downcast expressions, feeling down herself. "Girls, he was pretty tired when he fainted this morning." She reminded them. "He may not wake up for some…"

She was cut off by a moan from their unexpected guest as he tossed and turned on the bed. The kit soon fluttered his eyes open and cradled his head as a headache ensued. As the blurriness finally cleared from his vision, he remembered where he was, and the things that had passed. "Are you okay?" Cosmo asked him, looking at him with concerned eyes.

When the fox brought his eyes upon her, he nodded. "I… I think I'm fine," He groggily answered, looking slowly around the small, adequate bedroom. "Who are you people?" He suddenly asked, filled with curiosity as to who was taking care of him. Introductions slowly went around, until the fox was well acquainted with everyone.

"And, who are you?" Lucas asked.

The fox shuddered at the sound of his edgy voice, as if it held some kind of malice. When he'd gained his strength back, he told them, "My name is Miles Prower."

Daisy chuckled as he heard his name. "What are you, a speed limit?" She asked, causing Miles cringe in response. Galaxina nudged her with an elbow and shook her head, signifying that the fox didn't like the joke. Nonetheless, Daisy still followed up with, "That can't be your _real _name, can it?"

Once again, Galaxina nudged the fall-styled Seedrian, and gave her a disapproving glare. It was a few moments before Miles spoke again. "That's just my real name," he said, confirming that he had another name. "My friends call me…" he faded off, as though he had brought up a bad memory. The Seedrian family could see his eyes squeeze shut for a moment before he continued, "My friends call me 'Tails'."

Daisy was about to speak up until she saw the two tails that protruded from his rear end, silencing her speech. "Well _Miles, _why did your pod land on this planet?" Lucas continued to interrogate, which seemed to only scare the kit even more.

Tails stammered when he answered, "W-well, I'm not exactly sure. I remember having bumped my head on something inside the pod while flying through a meteor shower. My evacuation course must've been thrown off, and I landed here."

As Lucas absorbed this information, he asked one final question. "And, what were you evacuating from?"

Tails froze up. What could he tell them? Would they believe he'd just been in a disaster? Would they believe anything? "I'd be better off not saying," Tails sighed as he looked back into Lucas' firm glare. "It's something I don't want to involve you in…"

Lucas narrowed his glare even more as he began to approach him. "What are you hiding, boy?" He questioned spitefully. Tails could only let tears fall from his eyes as he waited for the chastising.

"Lucas!"

Tails opened his eyes to see Hertia scolding her husband with a fiery look in her eyes. "He's on a planet that's completely alien to him! You can't just immediately ask for every little thing!"

Lucas sighed and smiled softly, agreeing with his wife, if only to save face. "Okay Hertia, okay." He then looked back toward Tails with a smirk and said, "I'm going to want to hear about that later though, okay?"

Seeing that they had come to an understanding, Tails smiled and slowly got up from the bed. He then went to feel around his tails… and found that his satchel was gone. He gasped in shock, hyperventilating with concern as he began to panic. "Where is it?" He asked aloud, searching around the small room.

"What are you looking for, Tails?" Starla asked while bending down to see where he was looking.

"I'm looking for a small, brown sack." He explained, still concerned about said sack's whereabouts. He then spread his arms out with about a foot of distance between the arms, "It was about this big."

"Oh," Galaxina blurted out, having figured out where the item was. "We left the sack in your pod, since we didn't think it was too important."

Immediately, Tails made headway for the halls, reaching the foyer and bursting out the door, soon followed by the Seedrian family. "Where exactly did my pod land?" He asked, while looking around at the scenery. It was very peaceful, with beautiful grasslands extending across the fields he was looking at. In the distance, he could see the skyline of a modernized city.

Galaxina then walked up the hill next to him and pointed to a small crater near the base of the hill. In the center was a spherical object that fit the bill of his pod, with the front hatch still open. Tails quickly made his way to the epicenter of his pod's crash and looked inside of it frantically.

All his worries were ceased when he retrieved the sack. Sighing with relief, he slowly shuffled back up the hill, with his satchel in hand.

_[Stop Music]_

"What's so important about the sack, Tails?" Daisy inquired, looking at it with confusion. "It's just a dirty, raggedy, old…"

"That's enough, Daisy." Galaxina halted her string of unintentional insulting of the sack. "I think he understands."

Tails chuckled as he reached inside of the sack. "It's not the bag that's important," He negated her original question, "It's what's inside that counts."

He then emptied the contents unto the ground and revealed seven gems, colored red, yellow, green, dark blue, light blue, purple, and white. "These are the seven chaos emeralds," Tails said, referring to the gems upon the ground. An unearthly power seemed to be coming from them as the fox kit explained, "These gems hold immense amounts of power, which can be used to power machinery, people, and other things. When a person who is in control of his emotions takes control of all seven, they are said to become invincible."

Tails then sighed as he looked at the powerful crystals with a sad look. "These gems are the cause and solution to my problem."

"Is this _problem _the reason you had to use an evacuation pod?" Lucas asked, receiving a nod from Tails. "Why do you tell us about it? Maybe we can help you with it?"

Tails shook his head, gathering up the emeralds into the bag. "I'm sorry, but I can't let you get involved. It'd be too dangerous."

Then, out of the blatant blue, Tails asked, "Do you have a sort of garage or mechanical workshop I could use? I need to clear my head with some light work."

Confused by the request, but not willing to question it, Lucas waved his hand and ordered the kit to follow him. The two soon came upon a huge building that towered over the two in height. With area concerned, the building could easily hold several football fields. "I'll admit; it may be a bit big." Lucas said, rubbing the back of his in embarrassment. "What do you think, Miles?"

He looked at the kit to see that he seemed absolutely infatuated with his workshop. "It's the most amazing thing I've ever seen!" He exclaimed, almost wanting to run up to its door and plant a huge kiss on it. "I promise I'll take good care of it!"

Without further ado, Tails rushed inside of the workshop and began working. Lucas was somewhat surprise by the kid's eagerness to work, but he merely shrugged it off and walked away. "Crazy kids," he muttered while walking back toward the house.

As he returned to the house, he was met by his youngest daughter with a single question, "Where's Tails?"

"He's working in the garage, Cosmo," He told her while thinking back to the kid. "I don't know a single kid in the world who works with mechanics to ease his mind."

Cosmo pondered about their guest before coming to a certain thought. "Don't you think he's hungry?"

"I suppose he might be, honey." Lucas admitted while seeing the kindness in that thought. "Why don't you have your mother make something for him?"

Cosmo nodded with a smile as he ran off to her mother, who was already preparing a large bowl of salad. Hertia mixed a cup of dressing that Cosmo assumed to be Cesar dressing. She was proven correct when her mother added a couple croutons to the salad. "Mother, I think Tails might want some lunch." She interrupted her mother's cooking, and Hertia peered down at her daughter.

With a smile, she took tongs from the side her kitchen counter and began putting salad into a small bowl. "Lucky for Miles, I just finished making the salad. You can take this bowl to him, Cosmo."

She nodded and quickly ran out of the house, the bowl of salad and a fork in hand. When she arrived at the garage and opened the door, she had to struggle to keep the salad bowl in her hand. In the middle of the room was a huge frame for what appeared to be some sort of space ship.

"Tails, how did you do this in five minutes?" Cosmo shouted, looking at the kit who was working on one of the rows of framing.

The kit chuckled as he jumped down from the frame and landed gracefully on the ground. "There are a lot of things you can do with a Chaos Emerald, Cosmo." He explained. "For one, I can slow down the flow of time. However, I'm not as attuned to chaos energy as some of my friends were, so I can't use it very well."

All of a sudden, Tails' downcast expression returned, having uprooted several memories that he didn't want resurfacing. Cosmo noticed this and rubbed his back in hopes of comforting him. "How long will it take to finish the ship?" She asked.

Tails gave a calculating expression toward his ship frame and said, "Given that I can use chaos control to slow down time, it should take me three days..." He faded off toward the end as a thought occurred to him. _Three days, _he imagined, _that's all it takes to change everything…_

"Well, if you need anything, you know where to find us." Cosmo offered while walking out of the workshop. She swore she heard a soft "thank you" as she exited, leaving the kit to himself.


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Here's another chapter. For those that watched season 3 of Sonic X, the battle scene will look familiar.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing from Sega or Sonic X.**

**Claimer: I own this plot and all characters not affiliated with the above mentioned.**

* * *

Blue Typhoon Bridge

November-20-3199

7:15 Universal Time

Dark Spinel stood on a small balcony that overlooked the bridge, looking through the fiber glass window that stood at the front. He glanced over the millions of stars that existed in the universe and imagined all of them in his grasp. One day, it would be an imagination no longer, and the entire universe would be in the palm of his hand. At that moment would begin the Great Revelation, and all would be subdued under their mighty power.

But, for this proclamation to come about, they would need to search the vast cosmos for seven gems. It was like finding a needle in a haystack, and they were forced to scan the entirety of space for these crystals.

Holographic screens appeared before him, showing the status of the three other battleships in their main fleet. The battleship Stardust Plume, a yellow and white schemed space ship with a dagger-like shape, was fully operational, as were the Juniper Crescent and the Reverent Burstfire. While the Reverent Burstfire was colored with a red and black scheme and the Juniper Crescent was green and blue, they still all held the same dagger-shaped profile that the Stardust Plume had.

Only the Blue Typhoon had a unique design. It looked like an aircraft carrier with triangular wings on both sides which had a span of twice the width of the Typhoon. The bridge was structured to be at the front of a much larger complex of rooms which were positioned behind it, running till the back of the ship where four large engines were boosting them forward.

A beep was soon heard across the bridge, and one of the Gemmarex operating some machinery turned toward Dark Spinel. "Sir, we are receiving an urgent transmission from Black Obsidian. Shall we answer?"

"Put him on screen," Spinel ordered and another holo-screen soon appeared before him, showing another armored hedgehog with black armor and red streaks traveling over his spines. The visor over his face was shaped like an upside down triangle. "Black Obsidian, what is the matter?"

The hedgehog remained stoic while checking over a nearby computer screen. "Sir, my ship's scanners are receiving a signal from the nearby planet Greengate. There are seven signals emanating from the planet, and I think that our emeralds are on the planet, as well as the boy," his voice radioed in with a deep tone as he retold the phenomenon to their leader.

Dark Spinel nodded, with his plans soon to be realized. "Good work Obsidian; I will go and retrieve them myself."

**/\/\/\/\|\/\/\/\/**

_**Syaoron the Fox presents**_

_**Fragmented Chaos**_

_**Chapter 2**_

_**Time of Need**_

**/\/\/\/\|\/\/\/\/**

Unknown location

November-20-3199

8:26 Universal Time

_[Now Playing: __**"Watching the World Go By" by: Mike Strickland**__]_

When Cosmo opened her eyes, expecting to be in the comforts of her home, under the warming sheets of her bed, she was shocked. For one thing, she was standing up rather than lying down, which was odd in itself, but it was the second thing that seemed most important.

Fire was spreading everywhere in a small field as massive starships passed overhead. The battleships were firing large lasers at a city in the distance, eradicating anything that stood in their way. In fear, Cosmo began to run from all of the fire and destruction. While it looked nothing like Greengate, she had to wonder if it was real or not.

It seemed as if the fires of hell were raining down, spreading to anything they touch. Trees were burnt, buildings were incinerated; nothing stood in the path of this destruction. "What's going on?" Cosmo asked, as if there were some kind of hope that she would be heard.

When she could run no more, she paused and sat down near a rock, trying to gather her thoughts. She didn't even have a chance to identify her bearing as a crashing noise was heard from behind the rock. Peering over the edge, the young Petali spotted a fox kit that looked like Tails, except for the fact that his right arm was missing and bleeding heavily.

He appeared tired and weary from fighting, though she couldn't see the being he had fought, and she assumed that the enemy was gone. She then heard the boy mutter, "I have to get back to the workshop."

Cosmo didn't quite understand what the workshop was, but she followed the boy in an attempt to find out. "Excuse me, mister!" She shouted, trying to get his attention while she followed him. He seemed unfazed by her shouting and walked on as if she were speaking to the wind.

"Hey, can you hear me?" Cosmo said as she began walking alongside him, though she was still met with no response. When she tried to reach out and feel the kit, her arm simply passed right through him, like he wasn't there, and she gasped.

"What's happening?" She cried to the sky, hoping come kind of extraterrestrial being would answer all of her questions. "What is this place?"

"You are on planet Mobius."

Swiftly turning around, she noticed that the being that had talked to her was what appeared to be a glob of water in humanoid form. It had two large green eyes, and a brain could be seen in the head. "This is the planet that Miles came from."

"Wait, you can see me?" Cosmo asked, shocked by the liquid entity. Sentient water was unheard of by her, yet here it stood, talking to her as though it were a real person.

"I can hear and see you, Cosmo." The entity answered. "I am Chaos, and in the essentiality of the concept, I am a god."

"How do you know my name?" The Petali asked, thoroughly puzzled by all that was happening. "What's going on and why is Tails missing an arm? Where is this place, and what am I doing here?"

"Much will be explained in due time, Cosmo." Chaos replied cryptically. "For now, let us enter the workshop of young Miles and see what he's doing."

Chaos began to walk forward while Cosmo simply stood there, confused by these happenings. When she realized that she wasn't moving, she ran into the workshop to catch up with Chaos and Tails.

She was shocked to realize that the young fox was already constructing an arm to replace his lost one. The metal piece seemed to function in every way an arm did, and possibly even in more ways, but a single glance couldn't identify any hidden appliances. She then noticed that he was painting the arm orange, so it would match his fur's color. Cosmo heard a shout of pain as the fox bolted in the nerve connecting servo to his body, and then another yelp of pain as he popped the arm into the socket.

"These are some of the things Miles had to do to survive," Chaos explained. Even as he did so, the environment slowly began to fade. "Your family and the kit will soon embark on a dangerous journey, Cosmo. Be prepared."

With that, the dream faded into complete darkness.

/\/\/\/\|\/\/\/\/

Cosmo jolted up from her sleep, almost scared by the forebodingness of the dream. She looked down toward her hand and saw the yellow Chaos Emerald, glowing with alight that signified that it had been used recently. She had picked it up a few days ago when Tails dropped it, and kept it since then. Was it the cause of her strange dream? Everything it had said… was it true? Did Tails really have a metal arm? She realized there was only one way to find out.

She pulled on her green and white dress as she exited the room, but not before remembering to take the emerald. Through the halls, she greeted her sisters with a 'good morning' before continuing downstairs and into the foyer. "Good morning, Cosmo," Hertia greeted Cosmo while passing into the kitchen. When she spotted the concerned look on her daughter's face, it made her stop. "Is there… anything I can do for you?"

"I'm looking for Tails," Cosmo said with a hint of sadness seeping into her voice, "Do you know where I might find him?"

"He's still in the workshop, honey," Hertia replied. "I've never known a boy who could work day and night." It was true too. Tails had spent his entire stay with the Seedrian family in the workshop, refusing to come out. All that he asked for was supplementary food and water.

With his location known, Cosmo exited their small house and went around back, toward the workshop. As she pulled open the doors, she marveled at the sight of a magnificent starship that was before her. It seemed to take up much of the space of the workshop, and it was shaped with a curved bottom but a flat surface. Atop the flat surface was a form of runway and the large, bulging bridge. Tails had even taken the time to paint the battleship, and it gleamed with magnificent yellows and oranges.

She spotted the young Prower working on a final section of the paneling and she called up to him, "Wow Tails, this is amazing!" She exclaimed to the fox, who shuddered a bit in surprise.

Having heard her, he jumped down from his stand point and landed on the ground with utmost stability. "Thanks Cosmo, I'm glad you like it," he muttered his thanks while observing his craft. "It's not so great, but it's a lot to accomplish in three days' time, even with the Chaos Emeralds."

"Oh, that reminds me," Cosmo said, tossing the yellow emerald to the kit. "You dropped this a couple days ago, and I thought you might need it."

"Thanks Cosmo, I was looking for that!" Tails stated, clutching the emerald in his right hand. It was then that Cosmo remembered what the dream had told her and she reached toward him.

"Tails, what happened on your world?" she asked. "You're always isolating yourself, and I want to know what's bothering you. Maybe it would make you feel better if you got these things off your mind."

The fox blushed in response. These people seemed to care so much, even though they knew so little about him. It almost made him cry that he'd have to leave as soon as possible. "I'm sorry Cosmo, but it's better that you not…"

He silenced himself when she grabbed his right arm and began to tap against it, receiving a thud from knocking against the metal. Tails widened his eyes in shock. "How did you know about that?"

Before Cosmo could answer, there was a loud explosion heard from outside. Cosmo shouted in surprise while Tails gritted his teeth, knowing only one person who came to mind. He stuffed the yellow emerald in his bag of Chaos Emeralds and brought them outside, after convincing Cosmo to tag along where the rest of her family was already waiting.

_[Stop Music]_

"What's happening?" Galaxina yelled while gathering up her sisters in a form of protectiveness. All the Seedrian sisters gathered with each other, looking into the clouds with fear.

"What's going on?" Lucas shouted, glaring up toward the sky where the source of the explosions was coming from. He then turned his vision over to Tails and glared. "This is your fault, isn't it?"

"Mister Lucas, we can discuss this later," Tails declared while spilling the emeralds from his bag around him. He then shut his eyes and began to focus greatly on the emeralds' power.

"No Prower, we can discuss this now!" Lucas insisted with a hint of malice in his voice. He strode toward the kit, but the emeralds began to float around him and created a form of barrier around him, shielding him from Lucas' wrath.

Tails soon began to float with the emeralds and their power was draining into him. Soon, the emeralds were absorbed into his body and he let out a loud war cry, his fur turning shining gold while his eyes became blood red. "Like I said, we can talk later," he reinstated to the insistent Thorndrigan before rushing off into the sky.

_[Now Playing: __**"Cornucopia" by: Serj Tankien**__]_

Far above the clouds, Tails glared down into the visor of a dark blue armored hedgehog. The two had a form of face of; simply staring into the other's eyes. He gritted his teeth as moments of their pasts flickered into his mind, and he growled lowly. "I can't believe I trusted you… Dark Spinel."

"Come now Miles," the armored hedgehog mocked him, digging into memories in hopes of having the kit lower his guard. "Surely you can call me by my real name?"

"Never! Sonic died the instant you put that armor on, and you became this… thing!"

From behind his visor, Dark Spinel glared at the fox with malcontent. For all it was worth, this fox would die and burn in hell. "Have it your way, fox!"

Dark Spinel held his hands out, gathering a strange dark energy inside of his palm. "CHAOS SUPERBLAST!" he shouted, unleashing a dark blue laser at the kit, who dodged to the side, letting the laser pass harmlessly behind him.

Tails then rushed forward and struck a blow to the hedgehog's torso, grinning as he thought the damage was done. He was wrong, seeing that he only chipped the armor, and Dark Spinel backhanded the kit, causing him to drift backward slightly.

With blood dripping from his lip, Tails wiped his chin and thrust his hand forward and shouted, "CHAOS FLUX!" Suddenly, lances of yellow light began firing at the armored hedgehog and exploding on contact. Smoke filled the area around him as the explosions chained massively. It yielded no results as Dark Spinel simply floated there, with smoke tracing across his body.

Tails, fueled by anger at the hedgehog, lunged for a kick, but it was only blocked by the armored hedgehog. Spinel then countered with a kick of his own to Tails' torso, before following up a series of fierce punches, each causing even more pain to the kit. After the combo, Spinel climaxed with a chaos spear to Tails' face.

As Tails recuperated from the attack, he noticed that Dark Spinel was charging at him again, and he put up a quick block, shielding him from the kick. Tails then floated up and tried kicking him in the head, but was met with nothing but air as Spinel flipped back and punched through the kit's guard, yielding to yet another painful blow to the torso.

While hurt by the impact of the punch, Tails still managed to grab Spinel's hand. Tails then twisted the hedgehog into another kick and began chaining punches into his chest. Tails then backed off and finished off by shouting, "CHAOS LANCE!" The resulting spear of light flew toward Spinel at blinding speed. The hedgehog flew to the side, but didn't manage to fully dodge the energy lance and it scraped off a lot of his armor on his side.

Spinel saw his armor torn off and aimed a few more chaos spears at the kit, which exploded and burnt off some of Tails' skin. Tails yelped as he felt the dark chaos energy explode against him.

Tails simply hovered; exhausted from all the hits he was taking. He knew that even in his super form, he wouldn't last much longer against his enemy and resorted to his final technique. "I won't let you get away with this!" He shouted, unleashing two chaos superblast lasers from both hands.

Spinel appeared unimpressed, and he simply held his hands out in front of him, catching the energy from the powerful beams and absorbing it. He cackled evilly as the yellow light chaos energy coursed over his body before it turned the deep blue of dark chaos energy.

Spinel began condensing the energy into his palm, and decided he would make one final conversation with his enemy before finishing him off. "It was a worthy attempt, Miles. However, we of the Gemmarex will have our salvation!"

"You might think that," Tails said with a shaky voice. A delay could be heard in his breath as he clung to the last of his chaos energy. "However, I will stop you."

A bright flash started to emanate from the kit as the Chaos Emeralds began to float around him at high speeds. Tails splayed out his body and focused, slowing the revolution of the emeralds till they all stood still. Tails then released a massive blast and shouted, "CHAOS CONTROL!"

The emeralds began to shoot out in all directions, spreading across the universe. As the lights shot through the darkness of space, Spinel glared at Tails through his visor. "You are only delaying the inevitable, Miles. We will get those emeralds, and your precious life will cease to exist."

With Tails' fur color changing back to normal quickly, he was merely floating on excess chaos energy. "No Spinel. I'll pull through and stop you for good one day."

"You're such a fool Miles!" Spinel shouted at the kit ignorantly. "We have such great power, thanks to the Master Emerald! Why do you not join us in our conquest?"

"No, you're the fool Spinel," Tails declared, pointing decisively at his enemy. "You're drunk on all of your power that you don't even know what the important things in life _are _anymore. You used to know… back when you were different."

"You should feel gifted that I am offering you this power." Dark Spinel suggested, trying to swoon the kit into submission. "It's not every day that I offer such amazing abilities to anyone, Tails."

"Don't call me that! Only my friends can call me Tails!"

"I was your friend once," Spinel mocked the kit, pretending to sound hurt. "You even considered me a brother once."

"Before you betrayed me and everything you ever lived for!" Tails scolded him though the hedgehog passed it off as nothing. "The second you got your hands on that dark power, you let it pervert you into this megalomaniac, and look at what you've become now!"

"Yes Miles, I've become an all-powerful, almost godlike being!" He exalted himself, cackling as energy surged in his palm with maximum power. "It's too bad you're in our way. Now **DIE!**"

He thrust the energy towards the kit, exploding into a neon blue laser that was able to completely cover Tails' body. It didn't explode, rather the laser enveloped him, and the dark chaos energy was streamed into his body. Tails screamed in pain before the laser finally began to die down, at which point Tails' body was crackling with the dark energy.

Depleted of controllable chaos energy, the kit simply began to plummet to the surface while Dark Spinel watched his descent. He glared at the kit, knowing that much of what he said was true. However, he didn't regret his decision to accept this power, and this conversation only furthered his desire to fulfill the focus of the Gemmarex.

"Come in Blue Typhoon; this is Dark Spinel." He spoke into a com-link in his helmet. "The Chaos Emeralds have been scattered across the universe, and I will be returning soon. Upon my return, send one of our Captains onto planet Greengate to extract the planet egg; over and out."

Spinel then looked down to the area where Tails had managed to pierce trough his armor, and found that blood was dripping from a wound in his blue fur. In frustration, he vanished in a blip of blue light, leaving the skies of Greengate clear for the time…

_[Stop Music]_

/\/\/\/\|\/\/\/\/

November-24-3199

20:36 Universal Time

"Look, he's coming to!"

"He is? Let me see, Cosmo!"

"No way, Daisy. Neither of you will check in on him. I'm the oldest here so I should check on him first."

"All of you, calm down! _I'm _the woman of the house, so _I'll _check on him."

Tails closed his eyes as tight a possible, trying to shut out the annoying voices that prevented him from getting rest. When he realized that it was no use, and they were going to continue their babbling, he slowly fluttered his eyes open.

He would've sat up had Hertia not pushed his body back onto the bed. "You shouldn't be moving, Miles," the matured Petali woman said. She then had Galaxina hand her a wet rag and she placed it on the kit's forehead. "I don't know what happened up there, but you got quite a beating. I thought you weren't going to make it after the second day passed."

"I knew you'd make it, Tails!" Cosmo suddenly blurted out. She received an odd look from her sisters thusly, and she blushed brighter than the sun. "We all thought you'd pull through, Tails." She corrected her original statement, including her other sisters.

"Yeah, you were in pretty bad shape," Starla commented. "For a moment, dad was a tad bit happier."

Tails felt a shiver go down his spine when he remembered Lucas. The spiteful Thorndrigan would probably get really suspicious if he didn't start answering questions. He heard the door at the far end of the room open and he gritted his teeth. _Speak of the devil… _he thought, watching the male of the house walk in.

"Okay Miles, what is going on?" Lucas spoke, immediately getting on to the topic of conversation. "What are these secrets you're hiding?"

Hertia looked shocked that her husband would be so rude to their guest. He was never like this with any other guests, and he was injured to top it off. "Lucas, you're being very…"

"It's quite alright Miss Hertia," Tails cut her off, saving Lucas from a verbal beating. "He has a perfectly good reason to be hostile to me. I have kept information from you that could've possibly protected you, though I see now it wouldn't have mattered either way."

After the apology was given, Tails sighed and began to explain. "The person I was fighting is the leader of an organization called the Gemmarex."

"Wait, back up," Daisy said, stopping Tails from explaining further. "What are the Gemmarex? What is their goal?"

"I was _getting _to that," Tails muttered while rolling his eyes. "The Gemmarex's only objective is to unite the entire universe under one, district rule…"

"Let me guess," Lucas spoke up, trying to fill in a blank. "Their rule, right?"

"That's right," Tails confirmed. "Now, what the Gemmarex _are_ is a different question. Gemmarex are operatives Mobians that have been given enhanced abilities and dark powers by an object called the Master Emerald. They're all drunk on their power, only following the will of their leader: Dark Spinel. He is the one that I fought up there."

Lucas gave a skeptical glance to the young kit. How could he possibly know so much about this enemy? "And, how do we know that you're not a Gemmarex?"

"What?" Tails shouted in surprise. How could they compare him to them? "You have to believe me! Gemmarex are cold hearted killers and they've annihilated entire planets! I'm not capable of that!"

"But, you know so much about them. How are we supposed to know that you're not a traitor?" Lucas continued to argue, raising his voice against him. "Maybe you put up a ruse to lower our guard! Maybe you're just trying to trick us! Maybe you…"

He was cut off when he felt something land in his lap. He looked down and realized that in his hands was an orange colored metal arm. He looked back at the fox and saw that he right arm's socket was replaced by a metal servo for the arm.

"You think I'm lying to you?" Tails spoke, this time raising his own voice. "My best friend; my brother–my _very own _brother–did _this _to me! Everybody I knew and loved turned against me, all because of the Master Emerald! My entire planet was ravaged, and everyone who didn't conform to the Gemmarex was killed! I watched some of my best friends die right in front of me, while others stabbed them in the back!"

The kit quieted down soon as tears entered his eyes. "My life, my friends… everything… everything is gone and my best friends took it from me!"

Lucas looked into Tails' eyes and saw not the eyes of someone who was mature and wanted revenge. He was reminded once more that he was a child that was scarred for life, merely in search of solace. "Tails, I… I'm so sorry."

"Save it!" he shouted unexpectedly. "I've heard it all before!" Tails seemed to be in a rage as he ran out of the room and out of the house. Without hesitation, the Seedrian family ran after him to make sure he didn't do something stupid.

Tails ran from the house and into the night, wanting to at least find some kind of peace in the cruel world. He ran till he was out of breath, at which point he tripped over a stone and fell forward, unable to catch himself with only one arm. He was clearly bawling now, with the tears streaming from his eyes, rolling off of his face, and flying in the wind.

He felt a hand on his back and looked up, seeing Cosmo sitting next to him. "It's okay Tails," she assured him with a soft voice. "You don't have to be afraid anymore. We'll protect you, I promise."

Tails looked into her eyes and saw the tears beginning to form there as well. He wondered why they cared for him like this, but his emotions would let him think about it. The two simply sat in the night and cried on one another's shoulder.


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Wow, this is one of my longest chapters to date! I also have a poll on my profile, and I'd appreciate it if you took the time to vote.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing from Sega or Sonic X.**

**Claimer: I own the changed parts of this plot and characters not affiliated with the above mentioined.**

* * *

Unknown Location

November-25-3199

6:27 Universal Time

_[Now Playing: __**"Elect the Dead" by: Serj Tankien**__]_

Memories flashed before the kit, forcing him to relive the Great Massacre that befell his people and his friends. Why his mind forced him to look through the haunting images, he didn't know. All he could do was watch them play out.

The first moment, he was sitting on the floating Angel Island, just before the Master Emerald's alter. He observed as five people strode up to the Master Emerald, three of which he could define as a blue hedgehog, a red echidna, and a black hedgehog with red streaked spines.

He could remember this moment all too well. He heard their mumbling, and knew they were about to initiate the transfer of dark chaos energy around the world. "No, stop!" the kit shouted up to them, but he had been too late. Dark energy condensed within the Master Emerald as the seven Chaos Emeralds floated around it. Though purifying the emeralds, the Master Emerald was now in hold of all their dark powers, with nowhere else to store it.

The Master Emerald gleamed with darkness and fired off a wave of black energy that filled the air. As it approached the young Prower and struck him, he felt the pain of a thousand stabs enter his body. He felt the energy course through him, like electricity through a power conduit. He knelt to the ground as he felt the energy consume him.

Without a moment to lose, he suddenly felt a light, warm sensation and the darkness dissipated. He looked at his hands, wondering if he had done it, or if it was the doing of another.

When he looked up, he saw that five were still spreading waves of dark energy and he ran from it. The massacre was soon to begin…

…

Another memory flashed, and he was on the fields of Green Hill, staring up at a green crocodile that had golden chains around his neck, as well as an oblique pair of headphones. "Run, get out of here Tails!" the crocodile yelled to him. Though the kit attempted to run, he found that he was incapable of walking, due to a sharp pain in his leg. He looked down and noticed a large laceration on his thigh, with blood pouring from it.

"I can't, Vector!" Tails shouted back. "My legs hurt too badly!"

Vector cursed under his breath as he ran toward the kit and heaved him over his shoulders. As the croc ran out of the field, toward a small, inconspicuous house, he muttered to the fox, "You're the only one who can save us now, Tails. Only you have the ability to access light chaos energy."

"But what about you, Vector?" he asked as they entered the house, which had the words _**Chaotix Detective Agency **_posted overhead. Through the door, he could see a purple Chameleon, loaded to bear with ninja gear, and a young bee, who was wearing a bandana over his head rather than his usual piloting headgear. "Where are you guys going to go?"

Vector didn't immediately answer as he had the chameleon bandage the wound. "We'll be escaping in a ship, as long as Charmy can keep quiet and we can avoid detection."

The bee looked at Vector with contempt at the comment. "Hey, I resent that statement! Help me out here, Espio!" he argued with rebellion.

"Sorry Charmy, but that's the reality of it," the chameleon stated. "You're always too loud, and your constant yapping endangers us in our stealth missions."

"Whatever; I reject your reality, and substitute my own!"

Vector rolled his eyes as he continued to focus on their patient. "So, I can come with you guys right?" Tails pleaded, not wanting to be alone in this massacre. He was saddened when he saw the crocodile shake his head.

"It's not gonna happen, Tails." Vector declined him. "Our ship isn't finished yet, and you're going to need a readily available form of transportation. Doesn't your big spaceship have a few escape pods?"

Tails stuttered in answering as he remembered what had become of it. "I can't! Sonic hijacked the Blue Typhoon; I wouldn't make it!"

"You'd have to give it a shot!" the croc said, "There's no other way off this planet, and…"

Vector was unable to finish his sentence when the walls nearby came crashing down, revealing a Mobian ferret with a dark aura around him. The croc immediately recognized that aura… it was a Gemmarex. "It's a trap!" Vector exclaimed as he swung a heavy fist at the ferret. Even his brute strength was put to a halt as the super powered ferret grabbed his fist in mid-punch and threw the crocodile back into the wall.

"Run Tails, we'll take care of this!" Espio shouted as he threw a few of his ninja shuriken at the Gemmarex. Immediately, the kit cleared out of the house as fast as he could with his injured leg.

He hadn't seen the Chaotix team since then…

_[Stop Music]_

**/\/\/\/\|\/\/\/\/**

_**Syaoron the Fox presents**_

_**Fragmented Chaos**_

_**Chapter 3**_

_**The Greatest Journey**_

**/\/\/\/\|\/\/\/\/**

Planet Greengate

November-25-3199

8:16 Universal Time

Though the morning was peaceful, and birds chirped in the air, nothing could keep young Tails in bed that morning. He had too much to think about, all of which thoughts were of intergalactic concern. If Dark Spinel knew he was still here, he would just send a Gemmarex and steal the planet egg. Tails gulped at that possibility, knowing that he would've, once again, brought trouble to his friends.

He clutched at his head and sniffled, wondering about what had become of the Chaotix. _Surely they escaped, _Tails thought in an attempt to remain optimistic. _That Gemmarex was no problem. They're just too annoying to stay down for long._

At the last though, he chuckled. Even during the massacre, they still found ways to remain optimistic… at least, Charmy had. The bee was always a giddy kid, like the rambunctious kind of child you would see in a kindergarten school on his birthday.

Tails' expression only darkened at that thought. It had been the kit's birthday yesterday… and he'd completely forgotten about it. He sighed as he reminisced on the years in the past, when his best friends always celebrated his birthday with him. A tear of happiness slipped down his cheek as he remembered the good times they had.

He felt shattered as the happy memory gave way to cold reality when he heard the door open. He turned to his side to find Galaxina in his doorway, her eyes slightly watered as well. "Tails, are you okay? We can hear your bawling from down in the kitchen."

He felt his cheeks become emblazoned with red at her statement. _Was I really being that loud? Uh oh, c'mon Prower, think yourself out of this, _Tails thought frantically, trying to cover up his kit rubbed his eyes and shook his head around, trying to get his bangs out of his eyes. "I'm fine, it was just a bad dream," He stated, trying to cover up any further exposure to his memories.

Galaxina rolled her eyes at the child, never having seen a less convincing facial expression. However, with his bad past in consideration, she assumed it was a memory that he didn't want them involved in. "Well, breakfast is being served, so you can come down and eat whenever you're ready."

Tails nodded and hopped off his bed, pausing only to put on his gloves, his socks, and his shoes. As he followed Galaxina down stairs, he took time to actually examine the house. It appeared to be a large manor, though it only really held two floors. With the exquisite design and valuable paintings that lines some of the walls, it could be nothing less.

As he arrived in the kitchen, he gave a confused look to a bowl of oatmeal before taking it to the table. The kit poked at it with his spoon and received a stern look from Lucas. Looking up to the Thorndrigan, he once again gave a nervous laugh. "Is something the matter, Prower?" Lucas asked, eyeing the kitsune suspiciously.

"I was just wondering…" Tails muttered while rolling around a clump of oatmeal. "Not to be disrespectful or anything, but oatmeal is made from grains, and a variety of vegetables are used in salads… why are most of your meals plant based? I mean, isn't that like… cannibalism for your race?"

At this, Lucas began to fume. While Starla and Daisy kept his rage at bay, Cosmo chuckled at the comment. Hertia thusly explained, "We wouldn't consider it cannibalism since the plants you grow are non-sentient. Our philosophy is to take from nature only what we can give back. We can easily grow our plants again and again, or get milk from the cow, or eggs from the hen, but you can't just replace the life of the dead."

Though still confused, Tails made nothing of it and continued to eat his oatmeal. It was a nice breakfast, with a hint of cinnamon in the recipe. He was about to finish his last scrumptious bite when he heard a noise and perked his ears up. "Did you hear that?" he asked, trying to identify the cause of the mysterious sound.

"Hear what, Tails?" Cosmo asked. She continued to observe the kit, who was now snooping around the entire kitchen for the noise. She didn't quite understand why some random noise would bother him so much.

"Maybe he's paranoid," Starla suggested, shrugging in confusion.

"Starla, that was rude!" Galaxina scolded her, smacking the young Petali on the back of the head. "Making assumptions about other people based on their habits or activity is _not _acceptable!"

"Are you sure you don't hear it?" Tails asked again. "It sounds like something… falling…" the kit faded off as he realized what the source of the noise was. Still, they surely couldn't have sent a Gemmarex to steal the planet egg already?

Tails heard the sound getting louder and looked up, suddenly realizing where it was coming from. "Everyone, out of the house, now!" Tails ordered as he rushed to the front door and opened it up.

"What's the meaning of this, Prower?" Lucas questioned, standing up abruptly and almost knocking over the table. "Explain, now!"

"There's not much time, sir!" Tails pleaded. "We all need to get out of here! A Gemmarex is about to come crashing down, possibly through this house! The best place to fight one is out in the open!"

Though Lucas was still grumbling under his breath, he fled outside, along with the rest of his family. With a loud crash in front of them, Tails barely skidded to a stop before the Gemmarex landed. While his assumption that it was going to land on the house was wrong, he was still quite surprised that they' already sent a response.

Looking back now, Tails saw that whatever it was, it wasn't the run of the mill enemy. He saw a large robot begin to form, with an oblique upper torso and four limbs. "Miles Prower, surrender to us now and give us the planet egg," the giant robot ordered, unhinging its chest to reveal several missile pods. With a closer look, Tails could see that above the rack of missiles, there was a sort of cockpit, which was probably holding a member of the Gemmarex.

It was an obvious weak point, but the problem would be getting to it. With a smirk, Tails held his metal arm out to the side and the nanites within began to morph his arm into a sort of arm cannon. He held it up toward the robot and said but one sentence, "Come at me then."

_[Now Playing: __**"Rock You Like a Hurricane" by: Scorpions**__]_

Tails began to dash around the Gemmarex, attempting to fire his arm cannon at the cockpit. The orbs of orange energy that were fired from his arm seemed to be a form of impact weapon, seeing as they only splattered against the armor rather than scorching it.

He grunted as he tried to readjust his aim, which was difficult when the robot you're firing at is constantly moving and firing missiles from its silos. As the kit dodged the explosions, he began to fire at the cockpit, only to find that his blasts rebounded right off of the glass. _Great, it must be some kind of energy shield, _the kit concurred while continuing to dodge the path of these missiles. _I'll have to destroy that first before anything else._

As he ran around the robot, he realized that it continued to rotate, not allowing him anywhere near its back. To this, he concurred that the power source for the shield was on its back, and he realized that he'd need a plan. He attempted to run straight under the legs of the robot, and was too late to realize that machine guns on the bot's shoulders were beginning to fire at him. The wall of bullets it created wouldn't let him pass, and Tails was forced to block them with his metal arm while backing off.

_It's going to a great length to keep from getting behind it, _Tails thought as he looked back over to the Seedrian family that was taking cover behind a rock. "Lucas!" the kit shouted over to the Thorndrigan, who perked up at the sound of his voice. "I need you to go around to the back of the robot, find the power source for its shield, and destroy!"

"Are you crazy?" Lucas quickly responded. "I'm nowhere near as fast as you!"

"I'll create a diversion, just go back around and destroy it!"

"What am I supposed to destroy it with?"

Tails gave an annoyed sigh as he realized that the only available weapon was on him. While the robot's guns were over heated and stalled, he quickly detached his arm cannon and the remainder of his metal arm from his body and threw it to Lucas. "There should be a manual firing button near the base of the cannon o you can fire it!" he instructed while continuing to dodge the robot's firing.

"Come at me, you lumbering slowpoke!" Tails goaded the robot. While it seemed to have no effect on the bot in particular, it did continue to fire at him as Tails ran and dodged in several directions. Even though the occasional bullet scathed him or entered his body, he thought nothing of it as he continued to dodge the line of fire.

Lucas continued to lumber around the robot, confused as to what the actual power source of the shield was. It could be anything, from a small box to the innards of the robot, and he had no clue what to look for. However, adrenaline pushed him to find the source, if only for his family's safety.

As he finally made it to the back of the robot, he saw a bulbous light source that seemed to be pooling black energy, which he assumed was the source of the shield's power, and he shot at the light like there was no tomorrow. When it had finally taken enough strain, the light shuddered for a moment before exploding, taking a large portion of metal with it. "Miles, I did it!" Lucas exclaimed while the robot stammered.

Tails sighed as he saw a flicker on the glass cockpit, signifying that the shield was down. "That's great and all Lucas, but can I have my arm back?" the kit simply yelled back, receiving the arm from the Thorndrigan promptly. After he clipped it back onto his shoulder, he began to fire more orange energy spheres at the cockpit of the large robot. He could practically see the cracks forming in the dense glass, with a cursing Mobian hiding behind it.

With a smile of succession, Tails began to charge up a large sphere of energy inside of his arm cannon. When it was of sufficient size, he released the bolt of energy at the cockpit, blasting it open for him to attack directly.

Once again, his arm morphed, though in the place of the arm canon this time was a sword crafted of white energy. He then jumped toward the robot with a loud war cry, preparing to drive the sword into the heart of the pilot, when the robot unexpectedly jumped as well. With his momentum already driving him, he was forced to plunge into the robot and out the other end, resulting in a huge explosion.

He was struck with pieces of shrapnel from the exploding robot and he cringed at the impact, though he was glad that he'd finally defeated. Little to his knowledge though, the Gemmarex controlling the robot had ejected from the robot before it had exploded and had landed silently behind the kit. The black feline drew a small dagger and was about to stab the Tails in the back…

Had Lucas not grabbed the Gemmarex's wrist and kicked him in the stomach, the feline would've done just that. Tails turned around and was pleased to see that Lucas had his back. "Thanks for the assistance, Lucas."

"It's no problem, kit." The Thorndrigan replied, as he pinned the Gemmarex to the ground by his arm. "What do you want me to do with him? Break his arm? Hold him captive? Interrogate him for info…" Lucas was unable to finish the sentence as Tails plunged his energy sword into the Gemmarex's head.

_[Stop Music]_

Tails sneered at the feline as Lucas dropped him to the floor, letting the carcass roll onto the field, polluting the green grass with his crimson blood. He even nudged the body with his foot, making sure he was dead, before he delivered a fierce kick to his neck, snapping it in two. "He doesn't deserve to live," Tails muttered angrily, with hatred filling his eyes.

"Miles, are you going to be okay?" Lucas tried to ask the kit, but he just walked away, back to the hill where the remainder of the Throndrigan's family was waiting. He reminisced about the kit's bad past, and thought little of it as he walked away.

As the Seedrian family gathered before him, with Cosmo tending to his wounds, the kitsune sighed and morphed his metallic arm back to its default mode. "Tails, do you want me to take this out?" Cosmo asked, referring to the piece of metal that was lodged in his back. "It looks like it's in pretty deep, but it might cause an infection if we don't get it out soon."

"Go ahead Cosmo," Tails allowed her, bracing himself for the pain. He exhaled sharply when he felt it being tugged out, and coughed abruptly as it was finally dislodged. With haste, the green wearing Petali began to stitch up the wound while the fox muttered more curses under his breath.

When all was done and the wounds were stitched, Tails sighed. With a shake of his head, he thought of the most recent events and was glad that he could prevent them from taking the planet egg, but was still troubled by the rest of the universe's problems. "I'm sorry I had to get you all involved in this," Tails muttered his apology. "This was supposed to be my burden to bear; I didn't mean for all of you to lay witness to these madmen."

"It's not a problem, Miles!" Hertia insisted. "None of us were hurt. We're honestly more worried about you."

With a sigh, Tails shook his head, feeling more worthless by the second. "That's what I mean," he explained, "Instead of holding my own burdens; I've become a burden to all of you… I should leave this planet as soon as possible."

Lucas stepped forward, seeing the determination and will in the child's eyes, and he laid his hand on Tails' shoulder. "Well then, we're going with you," he declared.

"Yeah," Galaxina agreed with a smile on her face. "We're not going to let you go on some dangerous adventure all alone. What kind of friends would that make us?"

"Besides, this whole adventure thing sounds exciting!" Daisy suddenly shouted. Though Tails was surprised by the child's enthusiasm in going on an adventure through space, he was happy that they were all willing to come along. This prevented the embarrassing scenario of asking them to come.

"Well, I'm glad you all want to come!" Tails thanked them, grateful for the help. He realized that if they hadn't found him in his pod that week ago, he probably wouldn't have been alive. "We should leave as soon as possible. Why don't you guys go pack while I prepare the ship?"

While the young Prower jogged to the workshop with light feet, his words had left the family with a sense of accomplishment. It wasn't every day that a young boy crash landed on your planet and asked for help with saving the universe.

While they made their way back to the house, Hertia reminded them, "Only pack what you need. I'd suggest a week's worth of clothing, maybe some rain gear, preferably your toiletries, and anything for any condition. You never know what planets we might land on…"

The sisterly quartet sighed as they returned to the house to pack while their mother continued to rant on about what to pack. "So, what do you think Tails' spaceship is going to be like?" Starla asked as a general question, hopping that one of her sisters would answer.

Cosmo however, smiled with the glee of already knowing what it would be like. "I bet it'll be something amazing!" she exclaimed, trying to sound as though she'd never seen it.

"You never know what it might be," Galaxina said. "He's been in that workshop since almost the day we met him, so all of his work will start to show its worth."

/\/\/\/\|\/\/\/\/

_[Now Playing: __**"One Final Effort" on: Halo 3 Original Soundtrack**__]_

When they had all gather before the doors to the workshop, Tails was surprised to see that they had packed so much. All he really had to base his surprise on was the fact that he didn't bring much, but it was fine. The ship was built to hold much more than just people.

"Well everyone, allow me to present to you my greatest piece of machinery!" he declared while pulling the large doors aside, revealing the inside. A great behemoth of a starship was present there, with a color scheme of yellows and oranges. Great wings crossed through the ship in an x-formation while the ship itself expressed an aura of great power. "This is my multipurpose flying fortress! I call it the Vale Tempest!"

They all gawked at the fortress. The entire thing in itself was amazing, let alone the fact that it had been crafted in a mere week. Lucas smirked craftily as he looked back toward the young kit. "I thought you were doing _light _building?" he asked with a hint of mock in his voice.

Tails only shrugged as he moved to the side of the ship and pressed in a combination of numbers, opening a large blast door. "Get yourself settled. The barracks will be in the main hallway on the third floor. If you ever need a directory, there's one at the bridge."

Though slightly confused, the Seedrian family still stepped inside and laid witness to technology they had never seen before. Meanwhile, Tails was tightening the last few bolts on the fourth engine in hopes that the machine wouldn't fail in the midst of their flight.

When he felt that all was well, he returned to the bridge, from which he could see the remainder of his workshop through the tempered glass window. He turned around, and before him was the family, ready to shove off. "Now, I'm warning you, this adventure is going to be dangerous," Tails said, making sure they knew what they were getting into.

While they thought it over, Tails went over to the fueling chamber and reached for his a Chaos Emerald in his tail fur. He had managed to keep one sole emerald from the fight, and he knew it would only be the bare minimum of what they would need to operate the ship. He knew an alternate fuel source would need to be obtained before long, but he placed the emerald in a small slot and the entire ship burst to life.

When he returned, he found that the family was giving him a firm glance of preparedness. "We're ready Miles," Lucas affirmed him. "We know what the risks are, and we're ready to take them."

Tails still wasn't sure about that. With the awareness of the fact that they were an entire family, even the loss of one of them would break everything down. Inwardly, he smirked; it only meant he had something more to fight for.

"Well then, I'll assign everyone their stations!" the kit declared as he looked around at the four other stations that occupied the room, apart from the captain's chair. "Lucas, I want you on weapons control," he said while pointing to a small area to his left. "Hertia, I'll need you on ship diagnostics, down in the front. Galaxina and Cosmo, you two can take shifts on the radar department, while Starla and Daisy take shifts on our energy shield levels."

He smiled as everyone coordinated well with one another, just as a family should… he felt a pang of sorrow as he remembered what became of his family, but it only lasted for a second before he returned to more important matters. "Hertia, what's the engines' status?" He asked her while performing other measures to start up the ship.

"All engines are in top condition and ready for take-off!" She declared while checking over the other parts. "All systems are fully operational, and the armor is in good condition as well."

"Laser cannons are at the ready and primed," Lucas reported in while continuing his run through all of the weaponry.

With a nod of confidence, Tails pushed a couple buttons, allowing the hanger doors at the end of the workshop to open up, revealing the wide universe to their spaceship. With a burst of excitement, Tails suddenly shouted, "Vale Tempest, launch!"

With that said, he punched a lever forward, activating the rear engines of the ship and sending it off on its flight path into space. After having waited a few seconds to make sure all system were still completely functional, he sighed and declared to the crew, "Alright everyone; we've made a successful take off!"

Cheers went around the crew of the Vale Tempest as they continued onward into space. As they delved deeper into the vastness of the universe and away from planet Greengate, they slowly realized that an entire army was going to try and stop them, but it didn't faze them, at least not for that moment. Thus, they traveled onward, to complete their sole objective…

To save the universe…


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: Well viewers, here is yet another chapter! This should seem familiar to you, but there are many differences.**

**Disclaimer: I neither claim nor own anything from Sega or Sonic X.**

**Claimer: I own the parts of this plot that differ from the original and all characters not affiliated with the above.**

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Vale Tempest

November-26-3199

3:48 Universal Time

_[Now Playing: "__**River Flows in You" by: Yiruma**__]_

Since the Seedrian family and Tails had boarded their spaceship–the Vale Tempest –it had been nonstop piloting for most of the trip. While the others had taken some rest, Tails was forced to stay awake so as to keep the ship from running into an asteroid field, or worse, a Gemmarex fleet.

Bags were showing under his eyes as he struggled to keep the spaceship on course. He forced himself to suffer; he wanted no more deaths on this adventure. All his friends were enough and another loss would be only more of a burden on his guilty conscience.

He wished though, that one of them had stayed up with him. It helped to bear your burdens with another. He shook his head suddenly, forcing himself out of that train of thought. It seemed like it would be forever before they discovered another Chaos Emerald, even though they were technically moving at several hundred miles per hour. Space was entirely vaster than a couple hundred miles though...

It was all nothing though. What he needed was a new, more reliable power source for the ship than just a single emerald. He was surprised that they could get off the ground at all with only one emerald, but it wouldn't last them forever, like the Master Emerald would've.

He then widened his eyes. That was what they needed; the Master Emerald! If he could somehow steal it, he could use it to power the ship, and it would hamper the Gemmarex's progress… he promptly gave up on the idea anyway. He knew that an assault on the Blue Typhoon was nearly impossible, even if he did design it himself. It would be too heavily guarded, and _he _would be there.

He began to see several planets coming up on the monitor, and he figured that he'd finally arrived in a new solar system. Though they'd made a lot of progress in one day, he had to keep looking. If he rested, there was a chance that the Gemmarex would find an emerald before them, and then it was all downhill from there.

He was beginning to nod off and his surroundings began to fade into black. Just has he almost completely fell asleep, he felt a hand on his shoulder that shook him awake. He turned around to find that Cosmo was giving him a concerned look while nudging him. "Tails, shouldn't you be getting some sleep?"

The kit sighed. "I'm sorry Cosmo, but I can't," he responded solemnly. "Every minute that I spend sleeping or relaxing or even eating is another minute I waste that the Gemmarex could be using to find another emerald. I can't let them get all of them, or else…"

Cosmo could hear him choking up as he suddenly stopped talking. Tears were welling up in his eyes as he tried to stay awake. "Tails, you're not alone in this," she attempted to offer some comfort. "Even though we don't know the severity of the situation as well as you do, we're still here to help you. You don't need to carry the entire universe on your shoulders. We can all hold it together."

"But, what if you die?" Tails asked, his tears now sliding down the side of his cheek. "I couldn't bear to lose any of you. While you're all a big help, I can't dawdle while the universe is at stake."

"Regardless, you can't do this alone, Tails," the Petali attempted to reason with him. She could see the grey under his eyes, and she knew he couldn't take much more of this. "Why don't you go take a rest and just stop the ship for now? You're not going to do yourself much good if you're half asleep all the time."

Though he would've argued, he decided against it. She was right; he couldn't do anything if he didn't have enough sleep. If he wasn't awake enough, he could accidentally drive them into an asteroid field or something of the like. Hence taking her advice, he spoke aloud, "Master Control, go for secure. Power down the engines and initiate cloaking field; passcode is _corona_."

"Secure; welcome Admiral Prower, passcode accepted," the computer spoke back to him. "Engines are powering down and cloaking field has been initiated."

As Tails hopped down from his seat, Cosmo asked, "What's a cloaking field, Tails?"

The kit took time to answer that, not exactly sure of how in simple terms. "It's not the most effective thing in the world, but it will hide us in space," he explained. "What it basically does is take what's behind us and puts it in front of us, except, the field imitates it on all sides. It can only work for so long, but I think it'll work long enough while I take a quick rest."

The kit yawned and moved back down the corridor and to his room. As he passed the seedrian, she could hear him softly mutter, "Thank you."

_[Stop Music]_

**/\/\/\/\|\/\/\/\/**

_**Syaoron the Fox presents**_

_**Fragmented Chaos**_

_**Chapter 4**_

"_**H2 Whoa!"**_

**/\/\/\/\|\/\/\/\/**

Later that morning, the crew of the Vale Tempest was just waking from their sleep and getting to their station. As Tails arrived at his seat he gave a yawn and checked with the statuses of the ship. When finding that no intruders were on the ship, he turned to his right and spotted Lucas staring blankly at his screen. With a display of the same behavior from Hertia, he asked them, "Would you like some help with reading the diagrams?"

The two turned around and wore nervous smiles. Lucas turned from Hertia to Tails and back again before saying, "Well… I'll admit that I just said we were fully operational so that we would take off." The kit couldn't believe his ears as he stood up from his chair.

_[Now Playing: __**"No Rain" by: Blind Melon**__]_

Tails sighed as he strode over to his computer terminal, ready to give a brief tutorial. "Over in the top right corner, you have the charge levels of all of the laser cannons," he explained, hopping that Lucas was absorbing all of the info. "You'll notice that, while we're armed to the teeth, you only see three charge bars. These generalize for all of the cannon types, which include the rapid-fire beam lasers, the artillery lasers, and our single Chaos Power Cannon.

"In the diagram in the middle, you'll see a 3D model of our ship which spins around. Our weapons are highlighted in blue and are numbered, so you can check the individual statuses of them on the left. For general damage the weapons are taking, they fade into a red color if they're taking too much damage. If you want to see individual charge levels and the overheating rate, it'll be on the left with the correspondent number."

With a nod of understanding and a thumbs-up, Lucas said, "Thanks for the help. I think I understand it now."

Though happy that the father of the family had understood it well enough, Tails kept his eyes on the thumbs-up he'd been given. "Could you, maybe, not do that please?" he asked, while pointing to the thumbs-up, to which request Lucas firmly put his hand down.

"Does it bring up a repressed memory or something?" Lucas asked with a raised eye, concerned for the kit, yet suspicious all the while.

"My brother used to give me that signal all the time," Tails explained while clenching his palm. "I always imagined it was a sign that I'd done something good, but then he went and started up the Gemmarex. Now it's just a symbol of betrayal." Lucas gave a nod of understanding before going back to his check up on the systems.

"Hertia, I assume you heard the explanation I gave Lucas, correct?" Tails shouted across the bridge, receiving a nod from the mother. "It's the same basic concept for your systems as we-"

He stopped when he heard a shout from Galaxina, "Hey Tails, I think we've got something on the radar!" In his surprise that they'd already found something, he rushed over to the blue-favoring Petali and she pointed to a small white blip on the radar. "It's on planet Zeko. Do you think it's a Gemmarex battleship?"

"No, I don't think so," the kit voiced his opinion while studying the holographic radar. The signal was coming from a planet, and if that was the case, it wasn't a Gemmarex ship. "The Gemmarex never land since they can make all their technology and repairs on board. The only time they ever land is for dropping off troops, and they really only do that for larger encampments, such as when their protecting a Planet Egg before extraction. I think it's either a Planet Egg or a Chaos Emerald."

"Should we prepare to land then?" Galaxina asked; a question that received a fervent nod.

Tails bounded back into his control terminal and spoke through an intercom, "Alright everyone, we're coming in for a landing! Brace yourselves for gravitational reestablishment!"

"For what?" Lucas shouted up to Tails, who sighed exasperatedly.

"For gravitation reestablishment," he replied simply and nonchalantly. "It's when we're no longer relying on the artificial gravity and actual planetary gravity will begin to affect us."

As they entered the atmosphere and approached the planet, bright plumes of water began to appear, signifying that there was a lot of water on this planet. It made Hertia uneasy as they splashed down into the ocean. "Well everyone, we've had a successful landing," Tails assured them. He could see thought that it didn't raise the spirits of the motherly Petali. "What's the matter Miss Hertia?"

"It's this planet," she simply answered while surveying the water all around them. She shook her head, confused about it all. "When I was a diplomat, I learned that planet Zeko was an arid planet, often racked by winds and sandstorms. The inhabitants were adapted to this planet since they couldn't survive in cooler climates."

"Well, this sure doesn't look arid to me," the kit murmured bluntly while gazing about it as well.

"That's my point," she exacted her information while trying to search for nearby landmasses. "This planet supports life by being arid, and if there's a whole bunch of water on this planet now…"

"That means that the planet's ability to support its natural life has been taken!" Tails concluded. "The Gemmarex _are_ here, and they have the Planet Egg!"

"We're going to have to split up," the kitsune said as he looked at the Chaos Emerald that was powering their ship. "The emerald is shining, which means it's detected another emerald with the vicinity. We should have a group of us searching for the emerald while the other reacquires the Planet Egg."

"I volunteer to lead one of the teams," Lucas automatically said. To this, Tails rolled his eyes, but he could understand why. He wanted to keep the distribution of power even, with each team having one male to keep the others better protected.

"Okay," Tails allowed while dividing up the teams. "Cosmo, Hertia, you two will come with me while the rest of you can go with Lucas. We'll go and get the Planet Egg and you guys can go find the emerald. There's a mass of land to this planet's north that the emerald should be located on, so you should check there first."

The kit then went back up to his seat and searched through a small bin for something, throwing stray metal and other useless things in other directions. He listed off the things as he discarded them. "Electro-magnet, my old MP3 player, pencil, tiny screwdriver," he suddenly stopped and looked at the small tool and exclaimed, "I've been looking for this!" before continuing till he found the object's he'd been looking for.

He came back out with small devices which he passed out to everyone. "These are wrist communicators," Tails explained. "They contain a small GPS and video display so we can keep in contact with each other."

As the family attached the device to their wrists, they watched as the young Prower charged off in the opposite direction; to the ship's hanger. After a few seconds, he stopped and turned around, seeing that they weren't following. "Well, c'mon!" he insisted while running down the corridor.

With a shrug, first Galaxina, then the remainder of her family, followed after the kitsune as he traveled down across the ship. The youngest of the sisters marveled as she glanced over all the work put into the ship. "How did you manage to do all of this in three days, Tails?" Cosmo asked while continuing to awe at everything.

"That's chaos for you," he simply answered. "Almost anything is accomplishable with an emerald; you just need to believe it can happen."

"So, couldn't you make it so the Gemmarex never existed?" Cosmo suggested.

Tails wished he could do such a thing, but he shook his head. "That would cause a chain of paradoxes that would rip the universe apart," he stated somberly. "Even if it was possible, I wouldn't do that. Even if I'd have to go through all of this again, I'm glad that I met all of you."

"That's nice of you, Tails."

"It's nothing, Cosmo."

_[Stop Music]_

After turning a final corner and opening a couple of huge blast doors, Tails revealed the hanger of his ship. Inside were three planes; one was a fighter jet that had x-crossed wings and two boosters in the back and appointed nose in front of the cockpit which could hold three people. Printed on the side of it was **X2-Hurricane**.

The plane next to it was designed with more streamline wings that angled toward the back of it. The boosters in the back were of lesser size, but induced the same velocity for the smaller, two-manned plane. On its side was printed **X3-Galewind**.

The final plane was larger, with two separate cockpits to be able to seat four people. The tail of the plane spiked up in the back for extra stability whereas the wings were thin but greatly spread. In all, it basically seemed to be a smaller version of your common commercial airliner, with a couple of weapons attached. The name printed on this aircraft was **X4-Trunade**.

"I'm assuming you know how to fly a plane," Tails said while walking toward the X2. He then looked back and noticed their shock. "Or, should I give you quick flying lessons?"

"It's okay, Tails," Lucas assured him. "I was once in the air force before I became a Military General, so I know how to fly a plane."

"If you say so," Tails muttered with a sigh as he moved two ladders toward the Hurricane and the Trunade. "Lucas, you and your group will be flying in the Trunade. Just… take it easy on the throttle. These are some powerful planes."

While the kit was helping Hertia and Cosmo into the Hurricane, the other sisters had discussing to do. "Haven't you noticed something odd about those two?" Starla mused while moving her bangs aside for once, giving others a rare glimpse of her orange, piercing eyes.

"Who, mom and dad?" Daisy asked while looked back and forth between their parents. What was so wrong with them?

Starla only shook her head as she pointed to their other oblivious sister and her kit companion. "I mean Cosmo and Tails. Don't you think that they act a little oddly around each other? It's like they're afraid of each other."

"What makes you think they're afraid of each other?" Galaxina asked while studying the two's movements. She noticed that whenever they made direct eye contact, they both turned away with red seeping into their cheeks. "I can see Cosmo being afraid of Tails, but the other way around? Cosmo is harmless unless she needs to be."

"Didn't you see what just happened?" Starla tried pointing out the moment where they blushed and turned away. "They can't even look the other in the eye! They've got to be afraid of each other."

"But then, why would Tails put her on his team?" Daisy inquired, marking an objection to Starla's theory.

"Well Starla, there's another emotion besides fear that is described by that," Galaxina remarked. When she saw Starla cock her head to the side in question, she continued, "That emotion is love."

Starla never responded to that, in too much shock to reply. Her sister had fallen in love with an… an animal? That was almost unheard of! Very few of those relationships ever went well, and Cosmo was going to tempt fate with that decision. Shaking her head from the thoughts, Starla clambered into the ship after Daisy and Galaxina had gotten settled, awaiting the ship's take-off.

_[Now Playing: __**"Learning to Fly" by: Pink Floyd**__]_

Lucas was messing with the controls and getting adjusted to it when he heard a voice sound from the headset attached to the plane's communication channels. When he put it over his head, he heard Tails' voice say, "Come in Oak-1, this is Gold Leader transmitting on an internal frequency. Come in, over."

He sighed into the microphone and said, "Tails, if it's an internal frequency, why do we need to use codenames?"

"Because, codenames are cool," Tails simply responded with a smirk on his face. Lucas smiled as well, having finally heard Tails' childish side come out for the first time since he'd met the kit. The fox then continued with the instructions, "You are going to fly over to the landmass to the south while we look for the Planet Egg. I'm sure you're familiar with how to fire missiles and guns, right?"

"Yes, but why does that matter?"

"You may need them against the Gemmarex," the kit warned the Thorndrigan while preparing his own ship for flight and fight. "There's also a second trigger beneath the machine gun trigger which is for a laser. I really hope you don't have to use that, so do it only in extreme cases, such as when you're facing one of their metal behemoths."

The two planes warmed up their thrusters and the slight propulsion pushed them forward while the hanger doors opened to reveal the front portion of the Vale Tempest which had a runway design. As the planes ran down the runway, Tails shot Lucas a quick nod, which Lucas returned. Tails was the first to take off into the air, though Lucas soon passed him.

The kit could see his other plane going in several directions and he shook his head. "What's wrong, Lucas?" Tails mocked over the com-link. "Haven't you ever flown a plane before?"

"I have!" the Thorndrigan replied, fear bursting from his voice. "It's just so fast and the acceleration is incredible! Nothing in our military even matches this! Why does it need to go supersonic?"

"When you're searching an entire planet for a small jewel the size of your palm, you need the speed," Tails explained. "There should be an emerald radar on the dashboard, so you can track the signature. It should make your job a little less cumbersome. Over and out."

With that, Tails finally cut off communication and took a look back at his passengers. He was slightly displeased when he saw their nauseated expression. "Uh oh, did I accelerate too fast?" the kitsune asked them. His only response was a moan of disorientation from Cosmo while Hertia tried to keep her bearings as well. "I'm sorry, I'll slow down."

With that Tails set the speed so that they were cruising at a moderate speed, just under Mach 1. He then set it on autopilot, and the trio began cruising toward their destination.

/\/\/\/\|\/\/\/\/

Where Tails was completely under control, Lucas was almost out of it. He'd flown fighter jets, but none of these crazy things that went supersonic in under a minute. Those things he used to fly hardly even scratched the sound barrier, whereas this plane shattered it.

He struggled to maintain even a single line of flight as he sped out of control. "Dad, are you having trouble with the controls?" Galaxina asked. She could see her father shaking in his seat as he fought for control over the plane. "If you put it in autopilot and switch spots with me, I can fly it for you."

This straightened up Lucas' act and he suddenly regained the controls of the plane and began to fly properly. No daughter of his was going to fly a supersonic jet till they had at least flown a more controllable plane, or till they'd gotten their driver's license for that matter. With his sudden control of the plane, he practically exclaimed in pride while he performed a clean barrel roll.

The Thorndrigan then looked back and saw the three daughters that had accompanied him in a daze. He could see their eyes spinning, even while he had to maintain control of the plane. He then blushed embarrassedly, realizing that he'd pushed it too far and decided that he would keep the hardcore stuff to a minimum and simply focus on getting to their destination.

As they finally met the beach head, he slowed down and set the plane softly in the sand. As he half buried the nose in the sand, Lucas thanked his lucky stars that the plane had a hover mode, or he'd be forced to explain to the kit why he'd buried his plane under the sediment.

The fatherly Seedrian, after getting accustomed to being planet-bound, unbuckled his himself and unlocked the cockpit, allowing the glass screen to lift up and let them out of the plane. Daisy practically threw herself off of the plane and into the sand, rolling around as she praised the sweet ground. While Galaxina kept her dignity and decided not to roll around in the sand, it didn't stop Starla from joining her fall-schemed sister.

While she could feel the wind from the ocean caress her face and swim through her hair, the eldest of the sisters turned to her father so she could address something. "Hey dad," Galaxina spoke as she stared into her father's eyes

"What is it darling?"

"You need to work on your flying."

With a sigh, Lucas nodded. It was true, the Thorndrigan hadn't flown for quite a while, but he thought he'd at least fly better than that. However, as his most recent performance demonstrated, it was severely lacking. He'd need to talk to the kit about flying lessons.

"Well, since we're already here, the emerald radar says that a Chaos Emerald is nearby," Lucas stated with a suggesting tone in his voice. When none of his daughters took the hint, he spoke again, "We should probably start looking for it."

"How are we going to do that?" Daisy complained in her childish manner. "This desert goes on forever! It could be anywhere!"

"Don't worry Daisy, the emerald is really close by," Lucas assured her while putting on a cocky grin. "Besides, you've got your daddy here. I've got a knack for finding stuff." With that said, the Thorndrigan bore his claws and began sift through the sand at high speeds. He appeared to swim around in the dirt as he searched for the Chaos Emerald, ever persistent in his attempt to find it.

While Galaxina and Daisy sat, perplexed by their father's odd way of searching, Starla had peered over a nearby dune and saw a small object gleaming in the dirt. She meandered down the hill and picked up the shiny rock, rotating it in her hand several times before determining what it was. "Hey guys, I found it!" she shouted, drawing the attention of her father and sisters.

They all ran over to her and she revealed the emerald, opting praise from her sisters and disappointed grumbling from Lucas. She then handed the stone over to her father and he nodded at it. "Tails said that the emeralds can be used as an alternate fuel source for our planes," he remembered aloud, thinking about what the kit had said. "I'll have to put this into the plane and give it a run."

They were about to walk back to the plane when Lucas felt his wrist communicator vibrating. As he flipped the screen up, he saw Tails in distress and knew something was wrong.

_[Stop Music]_

"Lucas, are you there?" the kit's voice came in over the com-link. He sounded panicked, and the Thorndrigan could hear shooting in the background. "Come in, over!"

"Tails, what's wrong?" Lucas asked, trying to remain calm for his companion while the kit freaked out.

He heard a groan of pain before Tails spoke again, "They're everywhere! You have to help us!"

"Help you with what, boy?" Lucas growled, becoming irritated that he wouldn't get to the point.

"The Gemmarex, they're swarming the halls!" Tails spoke for his SOS. "You have to come pick us up! We've got the Planet Egg, but Hertia is injured and… crud, their beginning to fire again! You have to hurry!" Then, the communication went blank, and all that was left on the screen was a small GPS, displaying the kit's location.

As they ran back to the Trunade, Galaxina spoke to her father, saying, "I hope your flying has improved within the last twenty minutes."

"Me too, Galaxina," her father replied nervously. "Me too."


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: I sure am updating a lot lately, eh? Well, that's beside the point. My workload is still the same.**

**Disclaimer: I neither claim nor own anything from Sega or Sonic X**

**Claimer: I claim and own characters not affiliated with the above and the plot changes from the original Sonic X season 3 plot**

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Stardust Plume

November-26-3199

11:16 Universal Time

_[Now Playing: __**"Russian Deliberations" on: Modern Warfare 3 Original Soundtrack**__]_

From the bridge of the Stardust Plume battleship, a white armored hedgehog looked down on the nearby planet Zeko. He sighed and smiled greedily inside as he viewed the waterlogged planet below. They had extracted the egg most recently, and now the planet was only days from being over flooded. Everything was going perfectly according to plan. No interruptions, no snags; just a succeeding mission and a drowning planet.

"Ensign Carol!" he shouted, bringing a female ferret before him. He turned around to face her, noticing that she had given him a salute, and he gave her the order to stand down. "What are the reports? When are our forces scheduled to return with the Planet Egg?"

The Ensign brought up a small tablet computer and began to move about several graphs. "Well, the ships are still being prepared, sir. They're scheduled to return in five days' time."

The white armored hedgehog nodded. "Excellent," he muttered in glee as he turned away again. He expected Carol to leave, but he could still sense her behind him. In slight annoyance, he asked her, "What's the matter Ensign?"

"It's the reports we're getting from Dark Spinel," she answered swiftly as she scrolled across her tablet. "Apparently, our information confirms that Miles Prower and the Seedrians are approaching the planet, and we have energy readings that report a Chaos Emerald in the vicinity!"

Behind his metal mask, the white hedgehog widened his eyes and turned around swiftly. "Get me a communication line to our base!" he ordered, with stress bleeding through his voice. "I need to warn them!"

"Already on it, White Zircon," the Ensign assured him while patching in a couple of transmission signal. No sooner than was necessary did a holographic screen appear before the white hedgehog, displaying a wolf on the screen dressed in the Gemmarex uniform.

"Supreme Commander, what seems to be the matter?" the wolf asked formally. "I assure you we're working as fast as we can."

"That's beside the point!" White Zircon shouted at him. "The child is on his way to Zeko, and something tells me he might be after that Planet Egg as well! Keep it locked down, and make sure that you double the guard until further notice!"

Surprised by his superior's complete outbreak, it took the wolf a few moments to give a reluctant salute before the video feed was shut off. Afterward, White Zircon simply sighed. It was up to them to protect it now; it was out of his hands.

_[Stop Music]_

**/\/\/\/\|\/\/\/\/**

_**Syaoron the Fox presents**_

_**Fragmented Chaos**_

_**Chapter 5**_

_**Break in Break Down**_

**/\/\/\/\|\/\/\/\/**

X2-Hurricane, Planet Zeko

November-26-3199

13:37 Universal Time

"Alright guys, we're almost there," Tails assured his two passengers. Throughout the trip across the planet and over the ocean, he wondered if they'd fallen asleep or if they were sick. Halfway through the trip, they simply stopped responding to him.

However, at those words, the two sprang up and gave a momentary huzzah. The kit couldn't blame them; some of his friends didn't like flying the first time either. He assumed that being in space would help them get used to the feel, but not everyone was meant for flying. "Well, we're going to land near the base, so be as quiet and careful as possible."

Tails began to cut down on engine power so the noise wouldn't reach the Gemmarex base and arouse their attention. With the flipping of a couple levers and switches, he shifted into a hover mode and began to float toward the ground behind a large rock, concealing them from sight. The large rock just barely hid them from the view of the large complex.

It was black in color, with a large circular top floor. With his sharp fox eyes, Tails could identify anti-air missile pods and machine guns. All in all, this thing was armed to the teeth and penetrating its defenses would be a difficult task. Tails gritted his own teeth as he tried to figure out how to get in, drawing a blank in the eventuality. "Hey, do you guys have an idea?" he asked to the girls as he hopped out of the plane.

The Petali duo followed suit and stayed hidden behind the rock, figuring that Tails had a logical reason for landing behind the stone. Hertia and Cosmo looked out from behind the rock barely to get a good look at the base. As they looked all around the complex for a possible entrance, Hertia finally caught something that fancied her and she pointed to a certain part of the base. "There's nothing guarding that area over there," she noted. "How about there?"

The kit took another look at the place that she was pointing to and his eye twitched. He couldn't believe that the only area they could get into the base was right there. An air duct, not guarded by anyone, or anything. There wasn't even any video surveillance. "I can't believe it's going to be this easy," he murmured as he ran up to that area of the base, soon followed by the mother and daughter Petali.

He then did something that surprised the two. The fox spun up his tails and began to fly up toward the vent. As he unscrewed the ventilation panel, Cosmo couldn't help but exclaim, "You can fly with your tails? That's so cool!"

Tails smiled as he heard that. It wasn't often that someone commended him for his flight; no one really seemed to care. "Yeah, it really comes in handy sometimes," the kit stated while finally taking off the panel. He then inserted it in sideways into the duct, allowing them to sneak in.

The two were even more surprised when Tails lowered himself down and picked the two up by their wrists. "How are you even able to carry us?" Hertia asked, which Tails easily answered.

"Well, compared to the friends I used to carry on adventures, you two are lightweights," he told them while easing them into the air duct. "Now, be very quiet," he suggested with a whisper. "If any of us are heard, it could catastrophic."

The kit lead the way as they maneuvered through the duct, until they came upon a cross road in their path. It was decided by the path that they were to either go forward, or up. "Okay, where do you think they would keep the Planet Egg?" Tails asked the brainstorming question.

Hertia came up with a quick answer once more, "I think they'd put it in the middle of the base for maximum guard, so we should keep moving forward."

Tails nodded in understanding as he looked back to the light at the end of the passageway. "Okay, I'll go on ahead," he declared. "If I think it's safe, I'll call you over. If not, then I'll come back here."

With that, the kit ventured on slowly, leaving the Petali to themselves. This soon sparked conversation and Hertia said to Cosmo, "An interesting fellow, isn't he?"

"I suppose he is," Cosmo replied, albeit a bit reluctantly. "Still, I don't know why he brought us along. I mean, I've no form of combat training, and I don't know if you do either."

Hertia pondered this as well. The kit brought along two people who weren't at all experienced in combat to a Gemmarex base. In the unlucky even that they tripped the alarm, he would have to protect them while they made their way out. It didn't seem like a wise decision, but she assumed something that wouldn't require wisdom to decide on. "He's afraid of loneliness," she concluded. "He's afraid that if we leave his sight, he'll never see us again, and he'll be alone."

Cosmo thought about that and realized it was true. The kit was never like this on the ship because there was nowhere else for them to go, but out here, he thought he could lose them. She concurred with her mother as the kit came running back, with apparent fear. "What's the matter, Tails?" Hertia asked as the fox hid behind her.

"We can't go that way," he simply stated, shivering in fear. He covered his eyes and shook his head, trying to rid his mind of the memories. "We just absolutely _cannot_ go that way."

"Why not, Tails?" Cosmo asked, absolutely baffled by his sudden cowardice. It wasn't like him to be this scared.

Tails slowly looked up to them and whispered the words, "It's a women's locker room," before returning to his shivering. "I think I prefer women _with _their clothes on."

At this, Cosmo blushed heavily while Hertia gave a soft chuckle. It was times like this when the mother had to remember that Tails was only a child still, just Cosmo's age of ten. No matter how mature he was, there were still some things he didn't understand. "That's a funny thing, Tails," she commented before promptly slapping a hand over her mouth.

"What's so funny about it, Mrs. Hertia?"

The motherly Petali twiddled her fingers nervously as she tried to come up with something to say. It was only after a few seconds that she gave the stereotypical response of all mothers, "You'll understand when you're older."

Tails rolled his eyes as he heard that. People used to always tell him that all the time; _you'll know when you're older. _It annoyed him because he never found out anything after his friends were dead or corrupt. "I guess I'm going to have to fly you guys up there," he said after coming out of his thoughts. Thusly, he grabbed a hold of their wrists and flew them up the path of the air duct.

"Maybe that's why they didn't guard this section," Cosmo suggested while feeling the breeze of the air conditioning system wash over her.

Tails raised an eyebrow to her as he strained his tails to keep raising them. "What, because there's a women's locker room?" he asked skeptically, which she shook her head to.

"No, because they don't expect anyone to be able to get up here," she corrected him as they neared the ledge of the duct.

When Tails set them down on the duct floor, he thought about that. He became slightly paranoid as one thought entered his mind. "It's like they expected me to find this entrance," he softly muttered.

"Don't think that way, Tails," Hertia attempted to assure him while unscrewing the bolts on the ventilation chamber. "I mean, just because it's been this easy doesn't mean you have to be paranoid about it."

When Hertia pushed the panel out and they all stepped into open space again, Tails was immediately more paranoid, rather than comforted like the mother had wanted. There, in the middle of the room, sat the Planet Egg on a pedestal, as if begging for someone to take it. "I think I officially have the right to be paranoid," Tails stated while pacing circles around the pedestal. "It's just too easy."

Hertia was starting to become annoyed with the fox's paranoia. There was no reason for it; they were just fortunate! How hard is it to understand that? "Just move aside, Tails," Hertia said while slightly pushing the kit out of her way. She the plucked the Planet Egg from its pedestal … and all their silent efforts went down the drain.

"**Attention all personnel!" **a loud voice boomed over the intercom while red lights blared. **"An intruder is stealing the Planet Egg! All air ducts and windows are locking down and you are to kill on sight!"**

_[Now Playing: __**"Way Too Far" by: Korn**__]_

As the voice had declared, bars shut on all of the ducts, including the one that they'd come in through. Tails gave a sideward glance to the mother and said, "Well Hertia, looks like I had a good reason to be paranoid!" the kit then punched in a few numbers and opened up the door to the rest of the base while turning his arm into a sword of energy. "Let's go, now!"

Immediately on the outside of the door, he noticed that two Gemmarex that were guarding the door had turned back to him in surprise. It was this flinch that they made that cost them their lives. With extreme speed, Tails took a couple of slashes and bloody lacerations immediately erupted from their bodies.

The kit looked down and noticed their Spectre M4 submachine guns and he handed one to Cosmo while Hertia held the Planet Egg. He also handed her some extra clips and asked her, "You know how to use one of those, right?"

"It's just point and shoot, right?" Cosmo asked.

Her question wasn't answered as Hertia swiftly swapped the egg for Cosmo's weapon and ammo. "Oh no; my daughter is not going to use guns!"

Tails rolled his eyes and continued down the hall while transforming his sword arm into his power cannon this time. "Fine, _you _can use it," he allowed while the trio ran down the hall. Tails figured they would have to find the stairs since all of the windows were locked down as well. He grunted; leaving through the front door didn't fancy him. "We're going to have to push our way through the front door if we want to make it out alive," he told them while aiming his power cannon ahead and shooting off two blasts, killing the two coming soldiers on impact.

Though shaky with her gun, Hertia still managed to put a few rounds in the enemy. They were beginning to swarm the halls from in front of them, and the trio was beginning to fall back from all of the fire. Figuring that they had to get rid of them now instead of one at a time, Tails aimed his power cannon to the ceiling and fired a powerful charged blast at it, causing it to cave in and crush the soldiers below. Some of them managed to avoid the debris, but they were promptly shot by Hertia.

"You're pretty good with that thing, Hertia," Tails commented while hiding behind the debris for cover.

The two Petali soon joined him and Hertia whispered to him, "I don't like this Tails." Killing people didn't settle on the mother's good side.

"I don't either, Hertia," the kit responded while shooting some soldiers from behind cover. "I don't like this anymore than you."

They were doing surprisingly well, though they were heavily outnumbered… that is, until an enemy bullet finally hit its mark. Tails snapped his head to the side to see Hertia cringing in pain, clutching her side as green blood seeped from her. He then looked further behind them and found one soldier reloading his gun. The kit aimed his power cannon and shot him five times; more than was necessary to kill him.

Hertia was going to need some medical attention stat if she was going to survive, and Tails quickly realized that. His eyes welled up with tears as he flipped open his wrist communicator and quickly dialed in for Lucas.

He was too panicked to sigh in relief when Lucas' face appeared on the screen. "Lucas, are you there?" he shouted over the com-link to make sure he was heard. "Come in, over!"

"Tails, what's wrong?" the Thorndrigan asked. To Tails, it was barely audible over all of the gun fire that was going on.

He felt a bullet a scathe him and he grunted in pain before continuing, "They're everywhere! You have to help us!"

"Help you with what, boy?"

Tails sighed, trying to get his message through while firing at the enemy. "The Gemmarex; they're swarming the halls!" he shouted in plea. "You have to come pick us up! We've got the Planet Egg, but Hertia is injured and…" he stopped momentarily as he heard massive amounts of fire from behind beginning to tear away at their cover. "Crud, they're beginning to fire again! You have to hurry!"

With that, he was forced to cut off the connection. He peered back over their cover of debris and began to fire again at the approaching squadron while Hertia did her best to fire at the Gemmarex approaching from behind. Cosmo was unable to do anything, only a victim to watching as Tails and her mother were fighting for their lives. "Do you think they're going to come?" the green-schemed Petali asked the kit.

Tails was unable to answer, too stressed by trying to hold off the Gemmarex. When he finally did answer, it hardly put Cosmo to rest. "The question isn't whether or not they're going to come," he said while focusing on firing. "The question is when they will be here."

While Cosmo felt fear for her mother, Tails could only feel anger and unrelenting sadness as he kept firing his beam cannon and killing the Gemmarex, one by one. How could he have been so careless? Now, another one of his friends was dying, and all he could do was try to survive. If any of this went on further, she would die and he'd have blood on his hands once more.

He slowly realized though that they were being overrun, and Lucas wouldn't be arriving in time. He looked around, hoping to find some kind of means for saving them. He laid his eyes on the Planet Egg for a mere moment and had an idea… he just hoped it would work. "Cosmo, give me the Planet Egg," he ordered while still trying to hold off the Gemmarex.

"But why do you–"

"Just give it to me!" he practically shouted; the pressure continuing building up in his mind. With a moment of reluctance, she handed it to him and he shouted the incantation, "CHAOS CONTROL!"

Cosmo saw a bright flash of light… and then, complete massacre. The oncoming Gemmarex squad was annihilated, their bodies scattered about the hallway. In the midst of the death row, Tails stood with shaky breath and his metal arm transformed into an energy sword. Cosmo knew what he'd done; he'd shown it to her back in the workshop on Greengate. It was a form of chaos control that allowed him to temporarily slow down time, and he'd just used it to commit mass genocide.

While he was in the right to protect himself and the two Petali, he had used a lot of energy to hold the time freeze. He backed away, back to their cover of debris and he handed the Planet Egg back to Cosmo while panting heavily. Wearily, he transformed his metal arm back into a power cannon and continued to fire at more Gemmarex forces. "There's just too many of them," he gasped out in exhaustion.

When all seemed lost for them, Tails felt his wrist communicator vibrating and he flipped it open, revealing the face of Lucas. "You guys need some help?" he mockingly asked, and the fox heard the sound of a missile's flight. The next instant, the wall where all of the Gemmarex were exploded in fiery fury, showing the X4-Trunade doing a fly-by.

"That's our opening!" Tails exclaimed while reverting his power cannon back into a metal arm. He then picked up Hertia in a bridal style and motioned for Cosmo to follow him. "Cosmo, do you think you can survive a jump from this height?" he asked her, and received a fervent nod in return.

"Why do you think our dresses are designed this way?" she asked as she took a leap out of the hole in the wall. The skirt on her dress then expanded like a parachute and she floated softly to the ground. Tails was right behind her, slowing their fall by spinning his tails.

"Hurry, we have to get to the plane!" the kit shouted as Lucas continued to bomb the base. He could feel the shockwave from every explosion, but he tried not to stumble on their way to the Hurricane. When they were finally there, Tails put Hertia down next to Cosmo and ordered the younger Petali to put pressure on the wound and make sure no more blood escaped. "C'mon Hertia," he pleaded softly while taking off. "You have to keep yourself together."

_[Stop Music]_

/\/\/\/\|\/\/\/\/

Vale Tempest

November-26-3199

16:48 Universal Time

_[Now Playing: __**"In the End" by: Linkin Park**__]_

The infirmary on the Vale Tempest was full of tension later that afternoon. With an injured mother, worried daughters, an enraged father, and a borderline catatonic fox, the infirmary was on the edge of becoming 'Hell' for all of its accommodators. The tension was as thick as molasses yet as fragile as a butterfly's wing, and anything could break it at that moment.

The tension finally broke out into violence when Lucas pinned Tails to the wall of the infirmary, pressing down on him. "What happened out there, Prower?" he shouted at the fox, directing every malicious bone in his body at the child. "I thought you could handle this!"

The kit grasped at his neck as Lucas began to strangle him, completely shocked by this. He was being blamed for all of the failure… and he knew it was all his fault. He never should've brought them along; he should've done it alone. He never should've put anyone else's life in danger. "I… I…" he tried to mutter with what remainder of air he could muster, but the Thorndrigan cut him off.

"You _what_, boy?" Lucas continued to fire off his anger at the kit. His wife was injured severely, and that was all his responsibility. "Speak up! Why did you let this happen to my wife?"

Cosmo could hear the kit coughing and spluttering, trying to come up with an answer with his limited air supply, and she shouted, "Stop that dad! You're choking him!"

Lucas turned away from his daughter and noticed that Tails was almost turning blue. Seeing his daughter's correctness, he dropped the fox on the floor, at which moment he began gasping for air. After having gathered sufficient air into his lungs, he muttered something under his breath that the Thorndrigan couldn't hear. Giving the child a glare, Lucas ordered, "Stop your grumbling and speak up."

Though he was no longer being strangled, Tails still choked up as he admitted loudly, "I'm sorry! I can't do anything right and I let Hertia get hurt! I was useless, and I just… just…"

He faded off as he began to bawl heavily, clutching his face in his hands as he cursed himself. Lucas, surprised at the sudden break down, backed away slowly and left the kit to his sadness. He didn't know he'd been so stressed and he felt bad for accusing him of things that were probably out of his power. "Listen, Tails," he attempted to apologize when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

He turned around and saw Hertia, even in her weakened state, shaking her head. "Don't Lucas," she simply said as she looked toward Tails with concern. "It's okay Tails," she tried assuring him. "I was reckless and I got hurt; it's not your–"

"Don't make excuses for me!" he shouted in his sadness while standing back up. The tears were streaming down his face like rivers as he looked Hertia in the eye. "I should've tried harder, or used the Planet Egg's power earlier! I could've chaos controlled all of us to safety with the Planet Egg, but I didn't think straight! I should've made sure everything was safe before we even picked up the thing, but NO, I didn't!"

Hertia could tell that the rage was building up inside of him; rage only toward himself. "We still got out though," she said softly to try and sooth him. "That's all that matters."

"No, that's not all that matters!" he protested, releasing all of the feelings that he'd been bottling up inside. "I couldn't even protect you from a couple of Gemmarex!"

"To be fair, you did take out an army's worth of Gemmarex."

"That doesn't matter!" he still yelled, punching the nearby wall in his sadness. For a moment, Hertia swore she saw a veil of black wash over him before it disappeared. "The leaders of the Gemmarex are so much more powerful than an army individually! How can I hope to beat them if I can't even protect you? I'm worthless and hopeless… just like they said I was."

In a moment of silence, Lucas took the time to survey the damage done to the wall and was surprised. In the wall were several dents made by the young fox, even by his organic arm. He gritted his teeth, knowing the kid could break bones with a punch if he wanted, but he pushed that thought away as he asked him, "They?"

"My friends," the kit clarified while quieting down. "Whenever I would do something wrong, or I'd screw up, my friends would always _tell _me it was okay, even though I knew it wasn't. Then they got hyped up on dark chaos energy and their true colors started showing. They criticized me all the time; told me I was just a piece of worthless trash… and they're right about it, too."

When empty of all his anger, the kit finally just lent back against the wall and slid down. He sniffled softly as he buried his face in his arms. He was about to start crying again when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Looking up, he saw that Cosmo was eye level with him while the other sisters were giving peaceful smiles to him. Without warning, Cosmo enveloped him in a hug and the kit returned it, crying on her shoulder while releasing his emotions.

The parents could only look at them, fearing for the mental stability of their captain. As for Hertia, she was unsure what that black veil meant, but she was sure it couldn't be a good thing.

_[Stop Music]_

/\/\/\/\|\/\/\/\/

Later than day, when the sun was setting on the landscape, the Vale Tempest's crew was gathered out on the deck of the ship. They noted that the water was glistening in the sun's fading rays, and that the scene all together was beautiful. "Are you sure you're going to be okay, Tails?"

The kit in question looked back to see Hertia, all bandaged up with the wound clean, giving him a concerned glance. He nodded confidently in return. After having vented his emotions and making a scene, he actually felt a lot better. "I'll be fine Mrs. Hertia, but we have to return the Planet Egg to its rightful place."

She nodded with a smile and handed him the oval shaped object. He looked on, into the spiraling galaxy that was held at the egg's center, and he smiled that there was still a possibility of life for this planet. He thusly dropped it into the water and watched as it sank deep into the out of place ocean. "Let's get the ship started up before all of the water dries up," Tails suggested. With a nod from the crew, they all returned to the bridge so they could take off once more.

As they flew into the vastness of space, Tails looked back at the planet, watching as the water dried up, leaving it arid once more. In this, he realized that there was a possibility for everything to live. If they worked with each other and acquired all the emeralds, maybe, just maybe, they could end all the suffering.

Tails believed strongly that they would need to defeat the Gemmarex soon. He wouldn't let his old friends' deaths be in vain… nor his new friends' lives be in danger.


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: Wow, this chapter is long overdue. Sorry for the wait guys.**

**Disclaimer: I neither claim nor own anything from Sega or Sonic X. All music used is only suggested, and is respectfully owned by the original artist.**

**Claimer: I own the changed plot, and all characters not affiliated with the above mentioned.**

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Reverent Burstfire

November-30-3199

8:21 Universal Time

_[Now Playing: __**"Brothers in Arms" on: Halo OST**__]_

Black Obsidian, the Supreme Commander of the Reverent Burstfire, walked slowly down the halls. The failure a couple days ago had been unacceptable… the leader of the operation had been punished. If one Planet Egg could be restored, then all further operations were in danger from these miscreants. They would need to speed up harvesting and gather the Planet Eggs' powers faster.

As for their nuisances… they would still need to be dealt with, albeit more carefully. They had proved themselves to be a dangerous force to reckon with, and their defeat would require expert planning. However, for planning to be effective, they needed to have knowledge. For now, it would be a waiting game; waiting to till they had enough knowledge on their enemies to know their every whereabouts.

As for their enemies' objective, it was obvious. The small crew of the Vale Tempest was clearly looking for the Chaos Emeralds, only coming across the Planet Eggs by coincidence. However, that too would become a problem. If they let them continue restoring the planets, they wouldn't have enough eggs to complete their final objective. They would just have to wait till Dark Spinel's next update on their activity.

As for his crew, they were currently stationed in the Avon Nebula, patiently awaiting their next orders. There had been no reports from the other vessels since that failure four days ago. Ever since then, they had been keeping a close watch on their remaining Planet Eggs and gather more from other planets.

What of the Chaos Emeralds though? That was the real question. Those mystical gems were half of the reason they were situated in this barren nebula: to keep their radars up for anything that might be carrying one. But, out here in this wasteland of dust, Black Obsidian imagined that they were merely going be kept at bay till they were called.

Five minutes later, when they did get a call from their leader, he didn't like what he was hearing at all. "You're telling me that they have already detected another Chaos Emerald?" he asked angrily to the dark blue hedgehog in the display. "How can we have an entire army on lookout for those things, and we can find them, but they can?"

Dark Spinel moved his hand aside, as if pushing that comment away. "That comment of yours is void. What they are detecting is the fake Chaos Emerald we forged on Planet Breezy. I didn't call you to tell you about the Chaos Emerald; I called to tell you that they just might find the Planet Egg," all this, he explained solemnly, as if there was little they could do to prevent it. "Since we are out of range, I need you to contact Planet Breezy and warn them of their arrival."

With the hasty order finished, the communication's line had been cut and the video feed dissipated. Black Obsidian was left to follow his orders, as was his obligation. Even without the order, he'd have warned them. They were all brothers in arms after all.

_[Stop Music]_

**/\/\/\/\|\/\/\/\/**

_**Syaoron the Fox presents**_

_**Fragmented Chaos**_

_**Chapter 6**_

_**Yesterday's History**_

**/\/\/\/\|\/\/\/\/**

Vale Tempest, in orbit around Planet Breezy

November-30-3199

9:52 Universal Time

In the early morning, when most would not even dare get out of bed if they had the time, Daisy had the sheets pulled over her head, tired. She had refused to get out of bed when everyone was called, merely deciding to stay in the comfort of her sheets and continue sleeping. This of course aroused the others' annoyance and it was soon investigated, with Galaxina standing in the doorway, trying to convince her sister to come out.

"Go away, Galaxina," Daisy ordered, appearing to have a completely different persona. And who was to blame her? Most people did when they were woken from their sleep. The girl stuffed her head under a pillow, trying to block out the sound.

Galaxina merely stared down at her groggy sibling, never having seen her so moody. The eldest sibling placed her hands on her hips and huffed. "Too bad, Daisy. If I don't get to sleep, and no one else gets to sleep, then _you _most certainly don't get to sleep," she decreed sternly while pulling the covers off of her.

Daisy moaned while rolling around in her remaining sheets, entangling herself. "You're gonna have to carry me. I'm not getting out of my sheets half naked with you around," the young Petali complained while squinting her eyes shut.

Galaxina rolled her eyes as she went to her little sister's bed side and heaved the fall-schemed girl over her shoulder. "What are you doing?!" Daisy squealed, unable to struggle from being entangled.

"I'm carrying you down to the bridge," Galaxina simply stated, her expression stoic and truthful. "You told me that you weren't going unless I carried you in your sheets. I am therefore carrying you to the bridge, in your sheets."

"No, put me down, NOW!" Daisy shouted while squirming around in her sheets like a worm. "I'll get dressed and get up, I swear! Just put me down!"

With her objective complete, Galaxina dropped Daisy to the floor, at which time she promptly scrambled to her feet, covered herself with the sheets and ran back into her room. The eldest Petali sibling rolled her eyes and walked away, with victory in her eyes. She knew it would only be a matter of time before the second-youngest came scrambling out of the room with her clothes on.

When she arrived back on the bridge, everyone giving her an expectant look, she answered them, "She'll be out in a while. She's pulling herself together." The remainder of her family chuckled while Tails was left to wondering what was so funny.

Moments later, true to Galaxina's words, Daisy walked through the hallway door and revealed herself. She still wore her same dress, but she had a serious bed-head issue, with her frazzled hair extending everywhere. She then looked pointedly at Galaxina and muttered darkly, "I'm gonna get you for that later."

Tails shook his head as he walked over to them from his captain's chair. "C'mon guys, let's focus on the topic at hand," he suggested while pulling up a holo-screen, displaying the planet at their orbital center. "This is Planet Breezy, and our scanners indicate that a Chaos Emerald is located on it. We're going to go down and investigate, so I suggest you wear some warm clothing. Any questions?"

To this, Lucas raised his hand and Tails called upon him. "Can I go to the bathroom first?" he asked childishly, to which notion Tails waved him away. Moments later, the Thorndrigan came back. And Tails pointed to Cosmo, who had the next question.

"How cold is it going to be?" she asked, letting Tails think for a moment.

He quickly left to check the scanners, seeing that it was below freezing. "Well, there's going to be snow… I can tell you that much. If you want an exact measurement, it's going to be about ten-below-Celsius. It's going to be _very_ cold."

He was about to return to his seat when he noticed that the radar had detected something. "Cosmo, what's on the radar?" He asked her as she ran over to investigate. "Is it another Chaos Emerald?"

The youngest of the Petali siblings shook her head as she looked over the readings fearfully. "No, according to this, two Gemmarex ships are approaching!" she exclaimed while bringing up a video feed of the two ships. Tails cursed as he saw their design; sleek and streamline with wings that were thin and close to the main body.

"Darn, those are some fast flyers," he mused while they approached, swerving in a sort of serpentine. He then turned to his right and saw the Thorndrigan already in his seat, locking on with the Rail Guns. With a smirk, he spoke, "Lucas, open fire on those suckers."

"With pleasure," he muttered as the Rail Guns began to open fire on the two targets. Though fast as they moved, the guns traced their path, firing off beams of energy at them. They failed to hit their small targets however, with their agile capabilities allowing them to maneuver out of the path of their blasts.

Tails noticed that they were swerving around, back toward the engines and he gasped. "Everyone, get buckled in! This could become bumpy if the planet starts pulling on us!" he ordered while buckling himself in. While the guns auto-targeted their enemies, the other Seedrians buckled themselves up, in the case of a crash.

As he had predicted, the two small craft had begun firing at the engines, hoping to render them flightless. Though the Rail Guns traced them, they failed to hit their targets and Tails groaned. They felt a sudden shudder from the ship and Tails yelled to Lucas, "Remind me to adjust the auto-aiming to aim _in front _of the target's path!"

"Maybe later, Tails, but not now!" the Thorndrigan yelled back as some engines gave out and they began to plummet to the surface. They were nearing the ground as they all began to panic. "C'mon Tails, do something!"

"I'm trying!" the kit shouted back while pressing a button. "I'm activating the emergency thrusters, so hold on everybody!" Immediately, thrusters below the ship burst to life, slowing the Vale Tempest's impact against the snowy ground. Even then, the landing was still rather rough, with an uncomfortable impact against the ground.

_[Now Playing: __**"Cold as Ice" by: Foreigner**__]_

"Ugh, what happened?" Hertia groaned as she sat up, holding a hand to her dizzy head. She slowly unbuckled herself and stood up, leaning against a nearby wall to keep standing. "Is everyone okay?" She received a proper response from everyone, assuring that they'd all at least _survived _the crash. She wandered around for a moment, unbuckling their younglings and making sure they didn't receive any other injuries.

In the meanwhile, Lucas unbuckled himself and hopped down from his seat, going over to Tails who was in a daze. "Hey, fox boy, you okay?" he muttered groggily to the kit, who was clutching his head in an ache. When he looked over to Lucas though, he showed that there was a small bloody splotch on his forehead.

"Ugh, did anyone get the license plate of that truck?" he groaned while lying back, delirious. He sighed while unbuckling himself, slowly standing up and leaning against the wall with heavy breath. Lucas reached his hand forward to help him up, but the kit only held his hand out, refusing help. "I'll be fine," he said. "I don't need help."

"Uh, if you say so," Lucas muttered while rechecking the weapons' statuses. "Looks like all our weapons are still in good condition though. What do you think, Tails?"

The kit sighed while wrapping his temple in gauze wrap, thinking things over. He shook his head. "I think the problem is in our engines. That's what we should be worried about," he muttered. "Hertia, check the engine statuses, would you?"

The mother shuffled over to her dashboard, displaying the dissatisfying results of their crash. "The news isn't good," she said nervously. "We've sustained severe damage to engines one and four. They'll need some serious repairing before we take off again, or we risk destroying ourselves."

Tails growled angrily, knowing that this had been partly his fault. "What are the possibilities of sustained flight?" he questioned, trying to sort everything out with his hazy thoughts.

"Impossible."

The verdict on their flight capability did no more to help him than his bleeding forehead. With a sigh of acceptance, he moved on, "What of the repair time? How long will it take?"

Hertia moved more statistics across the screen as she analyzed the answer to his question. "It could take a few days if you're working on it by yourself," she diagnosed with sadness. "Since you're the one who built this ship, and you're the only one who's technically savvy enough _to _repair it, you're going to–"

"I know what I have to do," he huffed out while entering a few commands into his wrist communicator. "I guess I'm just glad now that I built a few drones incase the ship needed repairs. Still, I'll need to stay here and repair this thing. I'll need you guys to go out and find the Chaos Emerald."

Lucas takes a look outside, seeing the snow blow about, and he looked away, already shivering. "Are you sure? Out there, in the freezing cold?" he asked before breaking out into complete panic. "How could you leave us like this?! Stranded, in the cold, with our only warmth being the clothes on our back and–"

Tails grabbed onto Lucas' shoulders and kept him from saying anymore. He shook the Thorndrigan, saying, "I'm not stranding you in the snow! You will be fine; your warm clothes should be enough to protect you from this! Stop panicking!"

The kit sighed while gathering his thoughts once more, sorting out issues from ideas as if he were organizing them; preparing them for storage. "I'm sure your jackets and pants will be enough to cover your warmth. I want you to take the Galewind and the Hurricane out to go search since they have radars for the emeralds."

As Lucas took note of what he said, he came upon realization, blinking. "Wait, if the Hurricane seats three people…"

"Yes."

"And the Galewind seats two…"

"Yes; your point?"

Lucas pondered on this, making sure he had the right information before continuing. "Which one of us is getting left behind with you, then?" he questioned.

The kit waved his hand dismissingly, not wanting to decide over their family business. "It's your family, Lucas," he insisted with an almost mocking tone. "Why don't _you_ decide?"

The parent, having been suddenly thrust upon with the responsibility, turned to his wife and children. With little options before him to go about safely, he chose the easiest one… "Girls, why don't you decide among yourselves?"

Tails chuckled under his breath, seeing that Hertia was doing the same; though try as she might to disguise her giggling as coughing. He could see the girls bickering about it already, huddling together in their little group to discuss who would be staying behind. He could pick out Cosmo's name in the conversation and caught the phrase, "because she's the youngest," before they separated, with Cosmo's cheeks flushing slightly.

"From what I gather, you're staying here with me?" Tails assumed, based on her expression of defeat and the solemn nod she gave. He could see the slight dejection in her eyes, remembering that he had once felt that way. Too young; too little… it all sounded like "useless" and "ignorant" in his ears. "I know how it feels to be left out," he empathized with her, putting his hands on her shoulders. "But hey, we can be alone together, right?"

He could swear he saw the faintest blush appear on her cheeks, before he was called over by Lucas through the wrist communicator, down to the hanger. He beckoned her to come with him, "C'mon. We better see them off, right?"

With a jolt of shock and some hesitance, Como nodded and the two headed off to the hanger. The jets were already preparing for take-off, and all they wanted was Tails' okay. He received it when the kit gave them a nod of approval, allowing them to start the engines and blast off.

_[Stop Music]_

As they took off, with the high pitched noise of their soaring and an accompanying sonic boom, the kit turned to Cosmo ad sighed. "Well, first thing's first," he spoke to her while walking away. "I need to get started on that engine. The damage won't be too bad; mainly reactor wiring if we're lucky."

While the two moved on, closing the hanger doors behind them, Cosmo frowned. She'd known very little about their captain, as had the rest of her family. To all of them, the fox was still an enigma; a stranger; an–in the most literal sense–alien. When she tapped him on the shoulder, with so many questions buzzing through her mind, he turned slightly and looked at her. "Yes, Cosmo?"

She shuddered slightly at his voice, trying to decide how to start off conversation. To be straight forward or to 'beat around the bush' per se? Maybe she should just ask the questions rather than initially start conversation? "Um, Tails? What was your planet like?"

_[Now Playing: __**"No One's There" by: Korn**__]_

He sighed and turned away slightly, thinking back to how things were… how things used to be, before Chaos Corruption…

The Petali girl frowned, seeing his distress and knowing that the memories must be painful to remember. She tried to imagine how he felt; to have all the happiness and friends in the world… and to have been stripped of all you had. She shook her head, unable to comprehend how much he was hurting. "Tails…" she began to stammer and pause, feeling guilty for asking. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want–"

"It's okay, Cosmo. I need to get this off my chest," he assured her while they walked. He squinted his eyes, sorting through his thoughts; what he would and wouldn't tell her. "I can't tell you everything… but I can give you the general gist of our planet."

With a sigh, he walked on–with her on his heels—as he began to explain, "My planet was called _Mobius… _I suppose it still is, but it's glassed over now…" Glistening tears welled up in his eyes as he spoke, beginning to choke up. "It was a beautiful place, full of life. Where I lived, I was near one of our larger cities, Mobotropolis. Of course, I lived a ways away from that, over by a seaside cliff where I did all my mechanic work. I ever could live in a city."

Cosmo saw him in clear pain, biting back tears of her own as she watched him break down. "Tails, you don't have to say any—"

"I have to do this, Cosmo," he insisted while ridding himself of his oppressing thoughts. "While I lived alone, I was rarely ever alone… my surrogate brother, Sonic, would always drop in on me while I was working on my machines. We had a nice little relationship, he and I…

"Well, there were a few other friends that dropped by every now and then, but mainly just Sonic…" he sighed, and clenched his fist, breathing as easily as he could. He then chuckled at another memory. "There was always this one annoying, megalomaniacal scientist who wanted to take over the world, but my friends and I always thwarted him." He smiled as some of his better memories came back to him. "I don't have the time to give you my entire history, but that's the gist of how things were for me before… before all of this…"

Cosmo nodded, understanding the basis of his life. She patted his shoulder and smiled, trying to cheer him up. "You can tell me about the rest of your history later," she told him while following in his lead. "I do want to hear about why your friends all turned against you, though."

The kit paused, no longer walking as he heard this. With a moment to think, he began walking, shaking his head. "That's another sensitive subject," he admitted while looking onward, turning through the halls to the engine chamber. "I'm not sure if I _can _talk about that… I don't think I could handle it."

"I think you really should speak your mind, Tails," she responded, trying to get the information out of him. "Maybe it would help you? I think it would make you feel better If you said these things rather than keeping them all bottled up inside."

The fox looked back to her, unsure of how to answer. The logic was sound; it would be better to have someone who really knew what was going on, even if they didn't know everything. "Fine Cosmo, I'll tell you only what I can remember," he reasoned with her, thinking back to the massacre and its origins. "Everything was a blood bath…"

**[FLASHBACK]**

_I still trusted them back then… I shouldn't have after I saw what they were conspiring, but I did anyway. I saw them up by the Master Emerald Altar; releasing Dark Chaos energy throughout the planet and turning most of the inhabitants into evil beings… the change wasn't immediate though, as no changes are…_

_It was the next day… I was waking up in my bed, after I passed out from the infusion of Dark Chaos energy into me, though it didn't affect me… I still don't know why it didn't. I got out of bed like I normally did; went downstairs and had some breakfast… it was when he walked in that day that I knew things were going to become bad._

_I asked him how he was… he told me he was feeling perfect… but he was never that confident… even he never said he was 'perfect'. I asked him what made him feel so good and he simply gave me this malicious smirk; like he was plotting something. Then he simply answered, "Oh, nothing in particular," and he left._

_I knew there was something wrong then. I had taken my original plane and flown off, not wanting to be around when he did something stupid or dangerous… I was lucky I left; it turns out he'd planted a bomb at my house that very morning._

_I remember so clearly that next day, when a nuclear bomb destroyed Mobotropolis and killed hundreds… thousands… I flew over it when the explosion happened. Some of my friends lived in that city… but most lived in the outskirts, well away from the blast radius. Of course, most that lived became part of today's Gemmarex._

_I had to survive in that hell a couple days while I built the Blue Typhoon battleship in my hidden workshop… one that I hadn't even shown Sonic before. Though, he inevitably found out about it and stole the ship, deciding to use it for intergalactic conquest since he'd already conquered the planet. He stormed my ship with his troops while I fled, trying to find some kind of safety._

_I did eventually, with a group known as the Chaotix. They were originally a detective agency, but they'd been hiding survivors of the massacre since it all started. Of course… even they were eventually hunted down. Their home of operations was destroyed while they were helping me with a broken leg, and they helped me escape while they fought off the Gemmarex… I haven't seen them since._

_Later that day, while I was escaping, I encountered one of the Gemmarex… it took its first chance to attack me, and I lost my arm, just before escaping. I limped back home and built myself that mechanical arm soon after._

_With all of that done, I used my plane to fly into the Blue Typhoon. I had planned to find some kind of escape pod to leave the planet since my plane didn't have space flight capabilities… that was the plan, at least. While I had managed to sneak onto the ship, I found that a few more captives that hadn't been turned were being held and… I had to try and turn them loose._

_When I did, all hell broke loose. Sirens rang, all madness was released, and soldiers were running through the halls. When I managed to escape down one of the empty halls, I noticed one of my better friends running toward me. She was Amy Rose, another hedgehog who was captive and she… she was dying from wounds to her stomach._

_Blood leaked from her front and she fell into my arms, simply giving me a few last words before she passed on. When I looked back up to see who'd done this to her… I saw Sonic, hidden under all his armor, walking toward me… He and I met for a brief moment and then… and then…_

**[END FLASHBACK]**

Cosmo sensed the pause and blinked at Tails. "And then, what?" she asked, trying to understand the situation. What had happened after that? How had he escaped alive after that? Dark Spinel—Sonic—was out to get him… wasn't he? "How did you escape?"

The kit shook his head, cradling his head in his hands. "That's one of the problems," he explained while wracking his mind for the memories. "The one point that you think would be most clear for me is gone… I can't remember it."

Cosmo was taken aback. He was only ten after all; the incident should've scarred him for life. It should've been burned into his mind… but it wasn't. "You don't remember anything?"

"Nothing; not even a hazy image," he replied. As much as he tried to grasp on that string of his memory, the more he tried forcing it, the further away it seemed to flee. "It's just a blank space after that point… All I know from that is that I did _not_ escape at that moment…"

The words said between them lessened after that. They simply gave nods of affirmation as they moved to the engine room and began to work on the repairs with the drones. Neither one of them wanted to discuss the events that occurred on Mobius those few weeks ago. Neither of them could.


	7. Chapter 7

**AN: Finally! Another chapter! I've finally got it done! Please be pleased!**

**Disclaimer: I neither claim nor own anything from Sega, Sonic-X, or Sonic Team. All songs are only suggested and are copyright of their original composer.**

**Claimer: I claim the changed plot, and all characters not affiliated with the above mentioned.**

* * *

X2-Hurricane, Flying Over Planet Breezy

November-30-3199

13:21 Universal Time

_[Now Playing: __**"Let There be Rock" by: AC/DC**__]_

Meanwhile, aboard the two aircraft that scanned the surface of the barren, icy planet, much different events were occurring. "The scanner is beginning to pick up the signal of a Chaos Emerald," Galaxina spoke while observing the nearby screen. As data scrolled across the screen, she looked at a pinging radar, reading the area for signs of the energy.

"Are you sure?" Lucas asked while bobbing his head back and forth, as if he were some kind of bobble-head toy. Though he was focused mainly on flying, it was his second concern to find the emerald. He thusly radioed in with the nearby Galewind aircraft and spoke, "Hertia, are you picking up the emerald's power as well?"

After a short silence, he heard her response, "Yeah, we're picking it up too. Our radar isn't exact, but the signal will probably get stronger as we get closer it."

Lucas grunted in the affirmative. He then spoke back to his second passenger, "Daisy, scan the area for enemies near the source of the emerald, could you?" There was silence, an obvious give away to the father that his daughter was incompetent. "Orange button, second row, first column; you can't miss it."

She let a bead of sweat slid down her forehead as she looked at the blinking button, slightly embarrassed at having been incapable of completing the simple task. She hastily pressed the button, comparing her readings with Galaxina's. "Yeah, we've got enemy life signs coming from the energy reading!" she alerted them after making the comparison.

The fatherly Seedrian grunted. "That wasn't the response I wanted to hear," he groaned. Enemies around the emerald meant they would have to fight them to get it… and he wasn't ready yet to send his daughters into the fray. He dialed into Tails' communicator's frequency and a small screen on the dashboard lit up with the kit's presence.

Lucas saw the kit jump, obviously surprised at his calling. "Oh Lucas, it's just you," he gasped out, clutching his chest as he lent up against one of the engine compartments. With a light chuckle, the kit regained his composure and looked at the Thorndrigan with a serious expression. "What do you need?"

With an embarrassed expression, Lucas thought carefully about his words. He didn't want to impose, of course… but the safety of his daughters was highest priority. How could he seem like he was asking for assistance and not make it seem incompetent…

"I'm waiting," the kit drew out his words in clear impatience, tapping his foot as he leant back against the engine. His eyelids seemed to be half-closed as he looked tiredly at the fatherly Seedrian.

With a sigh, Lucas continued, "Well, there are enemies surrounding the Chaos Emerald's energy signature—"

"What's wrong, Lucas?" Tails chuckled as he turned around and screwed on a bolt. "Incapable of taking care of a few Gemmarex? You're the one with a plane and fancy technological weapons."

"That's not the point, fox!" he exclaimed, a noticeable red forming on his face. "I have my daughters in the back in case you haven't noticed! I'm not going to put their lives in danger for an emerald."

The fox remained in a short silence as he continued to screw in a bolt. He drew in a breath as he looked back at Lucas. "Why did you volunteer, then?" he asked while fixing up the engine. "If you think your daughters are so helpless, you could've just left them here with me."

"That's not what I—"

"And yet it is," the kit finished for him. He smiled lightly, noticing a frustrated expression from Galaxina and Daisy behind him. "You need to put more belief in them. I've seen some of the things that Hertia and Cosmo do, Lucas. Believe it or not, Cosmo has amazing aim. Now, if the youngest has aim comparable to that of a sniper, I believe that you can place a little more trust in your daughters, don't you?"

Lucas blinked and took a quick glance at his daughters. Noticing their expressions, he grinned nervously and nodded to Tails. "Okay, Miles… I trust you."

With a nod, the kit moved toward another engine part. He then frowned and turned his ears downward. "And, could you turn off that music?" he asked of Lucas while welding a piece of the engine. "It's loud and obnoxious. I'm sure your daughters don't appreciate it either. If you're going to listen to rock, at least listen to Green Day or Linkin Park."

Lucas frowned as he reached for the display, shutting off his connection with Tails. He then reached for the stop button on the dashboard. "Apparently, no one can appreciate some good AC/DC," he muttered while clicking the button.

_[Stop Music]_

**/\/\/\/\|\/\/\/\/**

_**Syaoron the Fox presents**_

_**Fragmented Chaos**_

_**Chapter 7**_

_**Driven to Distraction**_

**/\/\/\/\|\/\/\/\/**

Gemmarex Base, Planet Breezy

November-30-3199

13:30 Universal Time

A duo of Gemmarex recruits passed through the halls, stopping in front of the room that held their Chaos Emerald. With its intense red sheen, it easily shined through the crystal glass door. One of the two even had to squint just because of the intense light. Then again, she had sensitive eyesight. "I'm telling you, man," the one on the left said. "How on Mobius is a swallow supposed to carry a coconut?"

The one on the right, a Mobian swallow at that, glared at his partner. "I'm very much capable of picking up a coconut, thank you!"

The partner pulled back the visor on her helmet and revealed herself to be a black feline. "I meant a non-Mobian swallow, birdbrain," she said with a slight chuckle, amused at her comrade's anger. She shook her head, looking about the halls for intruders. "Seriously though Julius, how do you expect a bird to carry a coconut?"

The swallow, thusly named Julius, paused and glanced up in thought. "Um…" he groaned in thought until something hit him. "Well Kiana, It could grip it by the husk and—"

"It's not a matter of how it grips it!" Kiana exclaimed, flaring her catty tail into the air as her armor clanked on the floor from stomping. Somehow, even though her partner was a bird himself, he couldn't seem to grasp the concept. "It's a matter of weight ratios. A seven-ounce bird _cannot _carry a two-pound. I mean, surely it could _grip _the coconut, but it's not going anywhere _with _the coconut."

"Well…" Julius muttered under his breath, trying to think of a way to counter. "What if it was an African Swallow?"

Kiana massaged her temple. With a slight growl of frustration, she replied, "Even if it was, the average African Swallow is only sixteen ounces; the equivalent of one-pound. Even a small coconut still weighs twice as much as the bird."

"What if there were two African Swallows, tied to the coconut by a string?"

The cat opened her mouth to make a statement and promptly closed it. She furrowed her brow and looked away for a bit. "That's possible… I suppose…" she admitted with a bit of blush. She looked around, feeling slightly frustrated. "Where's the next patrol? It's not supposed to be our guard."

Julius shrugged and patted her shoulder. "We don't have to stay here, you know. It's not like this is a real emerald anyway," he assured her with a slight smile. The two of them had been in the same team for a while. He knew her workaholic tendencies, and for once, he decided that she should take a break.

To him she nodded. "Still, it's part of our lab experiments," she muttered. "We should guard it. We wouldn't want anyone to find out the secret."

He shook his head to her. "You need to learn to let go, Kiana," he said with a chuckle. "You don't need to be Atlas and hold the world on your shoulders. You've hardly gotten any sleep over the last few days. Why don't you take a break?"

She blushed a deeper color, and averted her eyes. "Only… only if you come with me," she whispered as she leaned into his body. He smiled and nodded to her, leading her off through the halls and toward the barracks where they slept.

Little to their knowledge, a trio was hiding out in an above air duct. One of them peered through the grating, narrowing his eyes recalling the collected information. He twitched his ears and a vein pulsed on his forehead as he heard a voice from behind him mutter, "Aw, lovey love birdies!"

"Shut up, you sniveling brat!" another voice scolded behind him, sounding much deeper than the childish voice that had observed the clear crush the passing guards had on one another. "You're going to give us away!"

"Give us away to what?" the childish voice remarked. The one who was peering through the grate could already envision the smirk on the kid's face.

"Both of you; shut up," the observer declared. "Both of you are going to give us away at this rate. Besides, the emerald is a dud."

"What do you mean by _dud_?" the deep-voiced one asked. The observer swore he heard his voice crack, and chuckled slightly.

"Well Vector, I mean just that," he answered with a demeaning tone. "It's a dud; a fake; a phony; a counterfeit; a fraud; an imitation; a fabrication. I've got more."

"How many more?"

"Do you really want to know the answer to that question?"

The figure named Vector sighed. "No, I don't," he answered calmly. "If it's really a sham, then we better retreat. It's not worth taking." With a nod from his partners, the trio retreated back into the darkness…

/\/\/\/\|\/\/\/\/

In the time the espionage had taken place, The Hurricane had landed a ways off from the base. It appeared to be a sort of ice palace, with all of its delicate features and fierce structures being constructed of the frozen compound. Lucas whistled merely at the sight of it as he unbuckled from the plane's seat and put on his jacket. "It's going to be cold out there, girls," he instructed his daughters. "You better put something warm on."

As the cockpit opened up, he felt a breeze of brisk hit him and he shivered slightly. Though, with the clothing, it wasn't as cold as he had expected. He thusly reached over the edge of the cockpit and prepared to jump out. With the notion present, Galaxina and Daisy put their jackets and opened up their glass cover, jumping out with him.

Within moments, they found themselves buried in 3 feet of snow. Galaxina looked over to Lucas's head which was only a neck above the snow. "Dad?" Galaxina said, trying to get his attention.

To the best of his ability, Lucas turned and looked at her. He could see the deadpanned expression on her face and he sighed. "What is it?"

"You picked a horrible spot to land."

Daisy, who was the shortest of them all, could barely see over the snow. She huffed in agreement, trudging her way through some of the snow till she found a bank that wasn't as deep with snow. She then stood, with snow only reaching to her knees, and she declared, "C'mon, slowpokes! We've got a mission, right?"

Galaxina and Lucas blinked to each other before moving toward her, deciding that she was right. As they came over the short hill, Lucas noticed that the Galewind had landed a short ways off. Hertia and Starla were just exiting the plane… also falling into a pit of snow, unfortunately. Lucas chuckled and shouted to them, "Watch that first step, Hertia! It's a—"

"If you finish that overused quote, I will slap you!" Hertia shouted back as she found a bank of land where she and Starla could stand up comfortably, without snow up to their necks. She gave a soft glare to Lucas before returning to a more serious expression. "So, that's the fortress?"

Lucas nodded as he scanned the battlements for any sort of guard… none whatsoever. He narrowed his eyes, confused. "There aren't any lookouts… Not even in the lookout tower," he observed while pointing to a tall tower with windows on all four sides, clearly meant for a lookout operation. "What gives?"

Galaxina rolled her eyes and patted her father's back, walking toward the castle-fort. "You don't have to be so worried, dad," she assured him as she casually strode toward it. She wasn't a hundred feet from castle, and nothing had happened. "No one's on guard. We could walk right through the front door if we wanted."

Lucas blinked, confounded at their luck. He smirked and followed along, soon followed by the other girls. "Everything's going better than I expected," he mused with a smile as he beckoned his family along. With no other noticeable entrances, it seemed like Galaxina's _front door _suggestion was the only option they had, unless they blew a hole in the wall.

They all stared at the front door. What was on the other side? Was it enemies? Possibly the guard that hadn't been up on the battlements? Lucas shook his head and turned away from the door and returned to the plane, retrieving a cannon-like weapon that fired a large blue laser. _The Trivire, _Tails had called it. The kit had explained it to him once; that the laser used three certain energy crystals to create the high-temp beam of light. He never remembered the rest.

Regardless, he arrived back at the fort with the remainder of his family and beckoned them to go around the castle. "We're finding a different way in," he said confidently while charging up the Trivire, circling for a good spot. Upon catching a small spot that seemed to lead into the fortress, he cautioned his family to stand back as he took aim at the wall and fired off the powerful laser, creating an opening large enough for them to pass through.

Even as they passed through the wall, water began to drip from the opening and it soon refroze, trapping them within. Lucas grimly checked the charge gauge on the Trivire and noticed that, as powerful as the laser was, it would take some time to cool down. "I guess we may have to use that front door after all," he mused in a whisper as they began to pass through the halls, wary of guards that passed through the halls.

There were very few. As they passed through the upper levels, making their way through the battlements that Lucas had observed earlier. It was a complete blood bath. Gemmarex were strewn here and there, their blood spilling from open wounds. Starla's stomach clenched as she saw the scene and she hid behind Hertia, as did Daisy. "Who did this?" Starla asked in a shaky voice, horrified by the bloodshed.

Galaxina observed it, not affected by the gore. "Someone was here before us," she concluded simply. There was no alternative to the idea, unless it was a massive mutiny, and even Lucas highly doubted that.

Lucas nodded with a frown. "And, if someone was here before us…" he whispered, fading off as the inevitable fate came to him. "Someone is going to eventually start looking for the other intruders… and they'll find us instead."

"All the more reason to hurry up, right?" Daisy suggested, trying to raise the mood. She never liked it when everyone around her was feeling down, and she felt obligated often to raise their spirits and get them back on their feet. "Why don't we keep looking? If we stick around too long, eventually they _will _find us."

With a nod of approval from everyone, they forged on, leaving behind the horrid scene. As they passed into another corridor, they finally found the chamber in which the Chaos Emerald was kept. However, as Lucas banged on the glass, he found that it was some form of incredibly dense crystalline ice. "That's just unfortunate," he growled as he glared at the shield of glass.

"Can't you just use the laser?" Hertia raised a brow to the Trivire which was slung on Lucas' back.

The Thorndrigan shrugged and unslung his weapon, checking the overheating and charge levels. It was all ready for use, with energy servos charged at maximum. "Stand back, everyone," he advised with a smirk as he aimed the laser and blasted a hole in the ice. Without hesitation, he reached inside and grasped the emerald, immediately setting off an alarm.

_{Now Playing: __**"When They Come For Me" by: Linkin Park**__]_

"There we go," Lucas said with almost some confidence. He looked up at the blaring red lights and smiled. "For once, something that I expected to happen happened." For a moment before hand, he wondered if the other intruders had disabled the alarm, leaving them in the dark. At least now, they knew that some form of resistance would be met.

He slung the laser back on his shoulder and reached for his hips, but noticed that no such weapon was there. He sighed and shook his head. "I can't believe I forgot to bring a weapon," he groaned, with the overheating laser bearing down on his back once more. "Please tell me you brought some form of weapon, Hertia."

As he turned to meet his wife, he found that she was already handing out small MAC 11 submachine guns out to her children, even giving them a small lesson in their use. "Don't worry, Lucas," she assured him while unslinging a SPAS-12 shotgun and handing it to him. "You get to use the big gun."

Lucas reveled with some small cheering as Hertia cocked the breach bolt on her G11. "Lock and load, girls," he said as he kicked down the door and blasted a shell from his shotgun, filling the opposing Gemmarex with lead. "We've already got company."

The daughters, effectively unversed in the ways of combat, merely followed along and kept their sights trained on the halls and hoping that something wasn't around the corner. "Are you sure we have to do this?" Daisy asked, unsure of what was going to happen.

With a roll of his eyes, Lucas rounded the next corner and shot of another shell, blasting another Gemmarex. "Talk to your mother about it," he said as they came into an opening, upon which they were immediately fired upon. Lucas dived behind a nearby pillar of ice, and was soon followed by his family.

"Not the time, Lucas," Hertia argued while peeking out from behind the corner, firing off a few rounds into a single enemy, causing him to flail backward and fall, even shooting a couple of his own comrades in the process.

Galaxina turned to Starla, asking, "You still have those flash grenades that mother gave you, right?" The younger girl nodded quickly, handing Galaxina the yellow canister. She promptly pulled the pin and shouted, "Hail Mary!" before tossing it out from behind cover.

The flash and bang provided by the canister effectively disoriented the enemies. With their given opportunity, the quintet of fighters ran out, guns blazing. With the tactic, they easily decimated the group of foes.

The large front door was within sight. All they had to do was shove it open and freedom would be theirs… Luck just didn't happen to be on their side that day. While they all shoved against the door, it wouldn't open. "It must require a mechanism of some kind to open," Galaxina said while looking back, seeing more forces already arriving around the corner. She aimed her MAC 11 at them, firing in short bursts to try and put them down. "We don't have time for this!"

Lucas gritted his teeth, looking back at the Trivire and noticing that the charge level was almost at maximum. "You think you guys can hold them off for a while?" he requested as he aimed the laser at the entrance.

"Can do, dad," Starla said while laying down, firing from a more stable stance and easily picking off enemies. "This is actually a lot easier than I thought."

As easy as it was, all good things eventually come to an end. This was no exception as a bullet finally scathed Daisy, shocking her a bit more than it hurt her. "Hurry up, dad!" she shouted in a panic as bullet passed through Galaxina's arm.

Lucas nodded as the laser finally charged fully, and he created an opening for them to escape through. "Alright, everyone out!" he yelled as he directed them to retreat. As he ran back, he turned around and his shotgun, slowing down the assaulting mob. "We've got to get to the planes!"

As they ran, wading through the snow, the planes came into sight. However, as they neared them, Lucas caught the sound of a screech and looked up. Some sort of ice dragon was flying above them, and it was poising to dive at them. "Look out!" the Thorndrigan shouted while diving down, pulling his daughters down with him.

Hertia wasn't lucky enough and was snatched from the ground, dangling from the grasp of the ice dragon. She screamed in terror as she flailed. "Help!" she shouted as she looked up, into the cold, grey eyes of her captor.

In a last ditch effort to save her, Lucas unslung the laser once more, waiting for it to charge. Galaxina simply looked over to her father and widened her eyes. "What the hell are you doing?!" she shouted at him as she forcefully lowered the laser. "You could hit her!"

"I don't have a choice, Galaxina!" he shouted to her while shoving her back. He put his aim back on the head of the dragon, aiming carefully and waiting in case it made any unexpected turns. As the laser finally reached its peak level of charge, he pulled the trigger one last time and fired the beam, hitting the dragon head on, between its eyes.

While Hertia fell for a moment, her skirt opened up beneath her and she gracefully floated to the ground the rest of the ways. "Let's get out of here," she ordered as she finally hit the ground, climbing into the Galewind.

With a nod of confirmation, Lucas helped Galaxina and Daisy into the Hurricane while Starla climbed in with Hertia. "Yes, let's go," he agreed. "Hopefully, Tails won't worry so much when we come back unscathed."

Galaxina and Daisy huffed at their father's ignorance of their wounds, for which he promptly apologized. He flipped a few switches on the Hurricane before taking off, leaving behind the castle of ice and flying onward to the Vale Tempest.

_[Stop Music]_

/\/\/\/\|\/\/\/\/

Vale Tempest

November-30-3199

16:37 Universal Time

_[Now Playing: __**"Fix You" by: Coldplay**__]_

With the engine in perfectly working order, Tails and Cosmo stepped back, smiling at a job well done. "Everything worked out better than I originally expected," Tails said with a glint of happiness in his eyes.

For a moment, Cosmo caught the glint and smiled at him. Perhaps he just needed someone to take his mind off of his friends. That was all he really needed. He just needed someone to trust. "Yes, I think we made pretty good time, too," she mused as she looked over the polished engine. "You're drones really do help a lot."

Tails chuckled and shook his head. "They can do basic welding, but that's about it," he contradicted, looking at the drones that rushed about. "They can't repair a complex system of wires or reprogram a corrupted or damaged processor. That's where my job comes in…"

In a sudden movement, Tails could feel Cosmo latch onto his arm. He looked at her and saw her frowning up at him. "Why don't you tell me the truth, Tails?" she whispered to him. "You hurt so much inside… I can see it in your eyes."

He frowned as she said that. "You can read me like an open book… can't you?" She only nodded in response. With a sigh, Tails sat down against the back wall and looked at her. "I don't know, Cosmo… could I have done something to prevent all of this?"

The Petali girl shook her head and sat down beside him. "It's not your fault, Tails," she said to him. She held him close as tears began to form in his eyes. "It was their decision to abuse the power they were given. You couldn't have stopped that. I've come to learn that free will is the only thing that can cause any kind of devastation. It was by their will that they were corrupted… it's not your fault."

He looked at her with teary eyes. They locked gazes for a moment and he saw the sincerity in her eyes… the care... he promptly hugged her tighter and cried onto her shoulder.

Cosmo simply sat there, sympathetic. _Tails, you don't deserve to be under this much pressure and pain, _she thought while holding him and swaying slightly. _I'll be your guiding light… I promise. I'll help you become a happier person… I'll fix you…_

The two heard the roaring of engines, marking the return of the scouting party. Cosmo stood up and smiled to him, offering her hand. "C'mon, Tails. Let's go greet them."

Tails sat there for a moment, blinking. He then smiled softly, taking her hand. "Yes… let's…"


	8. Chapter 8

**AN: Alright, a new chapter! It's been a while, with school picking back up. I hope you guys like this chapter!**

* * *

Planet Solei

December-5-3199

11:52 Universal Time

_[Now Playing: __**"Must Get Out" by: Maroon 5**__]_

Less than a week later, after the events at Planet Breezy, two Gemmarex were transferred to Planet Solei to extract its Planet Egg. Being mostly uninhabited, the two easily found a fine spot to extract the egg from, after a few hours of exploration and bushwhacking. With the Planet Egg in their possession, only one complication lay between them and their ships.

"I can't believe it, Julius," Kiana remarked with a huff as she plopped down beneath a tree. The layer of sweat above her brow was soon wiped away as she brushed her forehead with her hand. "I thought you said you had a good sense of direction."

"I usually do," Julius retorted, discouraged from their lack in ability to make their way back to their ships. He looked around the dense jungle and growled, kicking a small pebble around. "Everything looks the same!" He exclaimed. "No wonder I can't find anything."

Kiana rolled her eyes and stood up, poking Julius roughly in the chest. "This is your fault," she said with a sneering glare. "I told you we should sketch a path or leave behind some string, but NO! You thought your _innate sense of direction _would guide us through this!"

Julius set the Planet Egg down as he scanned the area, widening his eyes as he set his sights on a familiar clearing. "Uh, Kiana…"

"No, let me finish!" she shouted violently. "We've been stuck out here for hours! We've got no clue where our ships are! Just admit it, Julius. We're lost."

"Not exactly, Kiana," he said with a nervous smile.

Again, he was interrupted as Kiana continued, "And, it's hot! I liked the cold better, back on Planet Breezy! Why'd they have to send us out to this hot, muggy, jungle of a planet?! I mean, why us?"

"KIANA!" Julius shouted suddenly, finally getting her attention. He then pointed into the clearing, revealing the location of their planes. "I found them. Just through the trees, over there."

Kiana perked her head up and looked over to the clearing, their sleek aircraft becoming visible to her. "Julius, you did it!" she yelled in happiness, pouncing on the sparrow and hugging him. "I can't believe you found it! You're the best!"

With a raised brow, Julius responded, "Wait, you _couldn't_ believe it? What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing, you big pillow," she chuckled out as she breathed deeply, her eyes closed. Upon opening them, she noticed that she was lying on top of him and she blinked. "Am I heavy?" she asked before getting off of him and looking away. "I'm sorry…"

With a grin, Julius shook his head and stood up. "It's okay, Kiana. I'm fine," he assured her while offering his hand. "C'mon. We've got to get out of here."

With a slight blush, Kiana accepted his hand and stood back up. As the duo strode over to their aircraft, Julius suddenly picked up a roaring sound, like something was passing over head. He looked up into the sky and saw the Vale Tempest, beginning to enter the atmosphere. "Damn! It's the Vale Tempest!" he reported to Kiana as he slowly backed away.

"So?" Kiana asked with a shrug. "We'll just fly past them."

Julius shook his head and tugged on the feline's wrist, frowning. As he scooped up the Planet Egg, he said to her, "No way. Haven't you seen the firepower on that thing? It'll blow us out of the sky. I'm not going to put us in that situation."

Again, Kaina's cheeks flushed red as she was tugged along with the sparrow. "Okay, Julius…" she whispered as she ran with him, disappearing into the foliage.

_[Stop Music]_

**/\/\/\/\|\/\/\/\/**

_**Syaoron the Fox presents**_

_**Fragmented Chaos**_

_**Chapter 8**_

_**Excuses**_

**/\/\/\/\|\/\/\/\/**

_[Now Playing: __**"Daylight" by: Coldplay**__]_

Meanwhile, after the Vale Tempest touched down in a large field, Tails operated a bit of the machinery and eyed their power indicator with a sigh. They had discovered a couple days ago that the power frequencies of the emerald from Breezy didn't match that of two they had before; proving it a fake. They were hardly running off the power of one fake and two real emeralds, and they would eventually need to find a new power source.

"Hey Tails, you okay?" Cosmo asked, causing Tails to jerk his head to the side, seeing her with a frown on her face. The kit shook his head clear of the thoughts and smiled at her, nodding as he hopped out of his seat.

He then glanced back up to the meter for a moment before looking away. "It's nothing, Cosmo," he said as he guided her through the halls, outside the ship where the others were scouting out the area. He looked around, scrunching his brow at the thick foliage that surrounded their clearing. "Well, this will take some time…" he sighed as he looked about.

"You don't say?" Lucas remarked sarcastically from afar, swiping large leaves out of his face as he exited from some bushes, a few leaves stuck on his body. He looked wearily at his shoulder, flicking a leaf away as he narrowed his eye toward the kit. "I don't see you searching with us, kit. What are you doing? Messing around with your techy toys again?"

Tails rolled his eyes and waved his hand dismissingly. "I'm doing important things, Lucas. Calculations, maintenance," he said, annoyed, before adding, "Stuff that you wouldn't have an appreciation for."

"Why you…" Lucas muttered before getting in the kit's face. "Things like what? Try me, you overgrown weasel."

"Like the conservation of our power levels!" Tails shouted, barking back into the father's face. "Do you know how hard it is for me to operate a ship that's running on such low reserves of power? For all I know, we may not be able to take off next time! If you think that you can do a better job than me trying to conserve our power usage then be my guest!"

Lucas blinked for a moment, relaxing his glare as he saw the stress in Tails' eyes. Blood vessels cracked in his eyes and his eye lids sagged, as if from many sleepless nights. Even then, his fatherly intuition knew that it was no reason for him to be acting that way. He haughtily huffed and walked past him. "I'll be in the ship," he growled. "I'll try not to waste any of our _precious power_."

"Fine, be that way!" Tails yelled at him as the Thorndrigan disappeared through the halls. He grunted and turned in the opposite direction, walking. He didn't care what direction he went, as long as he was further from Lucas. "You've got to be prick, don't you?! Why can't you ever just trust me?!"

He continued to rant as he walked deeper into the forest. With everyone else searching, he merely wandered aimlessly, with thoughts of malice entering his mind in his anger. It was in his blind rage that he hit something and fell backward. With a shake of his head, he found that he'd unwillingly bumped into Hertia. "Oh, I'm sorry Miss Hertia!" he said almost immediately.

The motherly Petali simply looked at him and helped him up. As he stood, she saw the crease in his brow and frowned. "What seems to be the problem, Tails?" she asked, attempting to be sympathetic. "Lucas again?"

Tails sighed and nodded. Over the past few days, the two had many arguments. There had been some similarities between the two that may have brought on their conflict. They both held positions of authority; Tails being the Admiral whereas Lucas was the father of many of the passengers. This factor could've caused it, but Hertia still believed that there was a level of distrust between the two.

"You know, he's only like that because he's a very protective father," she attempted to assure him, as she'd done many times over the past few days.

The kit merely shook his head. "He thinks that I'm not doing anything to look for the emeralds," he admitted while leaning against a tree. "I told him that I have to keep our ship intact so we can continue searching, but he won't understand."

She smiled at him, tilting his chin up and winked to him. "Let's not worry about that right now," she assured him. "Why don't you help me look for the emerald? I'm sure you'll be able to get back to your work later. Let Lucas simmer for a while." Then, with a smirk, she added, "Besides, I have a few things I want to talk to you about."

Tails let a tear escape him for a moment before he brushed it away, smiling and nodding in response. "Thank you, Hertia," he whispered bashfully as he walked with her into the forest.

/\/\/\/\|\/\/\/\/

Meanwhile, the daughters were searching in the vicinity for the Chaos Emerald, hoping they'd be able to find it. Daisy looked over to Galaxina and blinked. "Remind me again, what the colors of the emeralds are?" she asked as she milled through bushes, tracking the signals with her wrist communicator.

Galaxina looked up in thought, counting her fingers off as she named the colors. "Well, we have the dark blue emerald and the yellow one," she said. "That leaves red, light blue, white, purple, and—"

"Green, right?" Starla interrupted as she stopped her search, crossing her arms. "If it's green, it could be blending in with anything."

Cosmo sighed as she continued checking the energy signals. She scratched her head as she walked toward the signal. "I think my tracker is broken," she claimed, slightly frustrated. "It says that I'm getting two readings on here, and one of them is moving."

"Moving?" Galaxina questioned as she moved over to Cosmo, checking the radar over her younger sister's shoulder. "Cosmo, I think that one of those things could be the Planet Egg!"

Starla widened her eyes slightly and sighed, leaning her back against a tree. "The moving source is the Planet Egg," she drew her conclusions, explaining it to them. "The Gemmarex are probably trying to find their ships so that they can get off of this planet."

"Gemmarex?" Daisy pondered the thought aloud as she looked around. "It could be the Gemmarex. We'll eventually encounter them if we keep looking."

Cosmo nodded as she peered through a clearing, looking around for the emerald. "I don't see it," she sighed, shaking her head as she continued her search. "Do you think I should go back for help?"

"So you can chat it up with your foxy friend? Not a chance," Starla mocked Cosmo with a bemused chuckle. An evident blush appeared on Cosmo's face as Starla continued. "How are things going with him, anyway?"

"How should I know?" Cosmo retorted defensively, trying to repress her reddening cheeks. "And what do you mean by that; _foxy_?"

"You know _exactly _what I mean."

"Stop it, Starla!"

"Alright, cut it out, both of you!" Galaxina interjected the two of them, stopping their argument. She directed her gaze to Starla, scolding her, "C'mon Starla, you know she's sensitive about it. Stop messing with her."

With a drawn sigh, Starla crossed her arms and turned away. "Fine," she pouted as she went about, continuing to look for the emerald. "It's true, though."

"That's enough, Starla!"

"Okay, okay!" Starla responded in defense, breathing out sharply.

Galaxina chuckled and patted Cosmo's back. "Don't worry about it, Cosmo," she whispered to her. "I think Starla is a bit jealous."

"Jealous?" Cosmo asked, innocence bleeding through her voice. "What would she be jealous of?"

After a quick blink, Galaxina laughed and shook her head. "You'll know when it happens," she assured her youngest sister. "You just have to wait for him to admit it."

"Huh?" Cosmo asked once more, confused. "Admit what? What do you mean, Galaxina?"

"You'll know, Cosmo," Galaxina simply repeated as she adventured further into the clearing, looking around for their lost emerald. In an attempt to change the subject, the eldest sister then said, "It sure could take a while to find that emerald, huh?"

"Yeah, you're telling me," Daisy answered with a roll of the eyes. "The signal does seem stronger from the other side of this field though. Maybe it's right over there?"

With that suggestion in mind, the sisterly quartet moved into the area beyond their clearing. They were amazed yet again by all the flora that existed in the forest. Flowers seemed to bloom in small patches here and there, while large trees sprawled their branches out in webs. In her wonder, Cosmo didn't notice the root beneath her, and she fell forward in her daze. "Watch out, Cosmo," Daisy advised as she helped her sister up. "You never know what might be under your feet."

Cosmo nodded and dusted her dress off. As she looked down toward the ground, she spotted something with a green gleam hidden in the dirt. She reached into the soil to pull it out, being rewarded with the magnificent green Chaos Emerald. "I found it, guys!" she exclaimed as she held up the glimmering gem.

"Great job, Cosmo!" Galaxina congratulated her, patting her shoulder. After a round of congratulations had gone round, a silence between the four arose.

"Um…" Daisy muttered, trying to think of something to say. "I guess we go back now, right?"

Galaxina immediately grunted a disapproving 'no'. "We have to go find those Gemmarex and restore the planet," she demanded as she tracked the second energy signal on her wrist communicator.

_[Stop Music]_

"But, won't they have guns?" Cosmo warned Galaxina.

The eldest sister reached her hip and took two Glock-18 pistols from their holsters. "That's why we have guns too, Cosmo," Galaxina responded with a wink. She then frowned. "Don't tell me that you forgot to get one from the barracks?"

Cosmo twiddled her thumbs, blushing slightly. "Um… Yeah," she admitted as she found sudden interest in the ground.

"You're hopeless," Galaxina muttered as she handed Cosmo one of her machine pistols. "Use this. I would've liked to go akimbo, but you'll probably be able to use that just as well."

Starla smirked as she unslung the MP5 submachine gun from her back and popped a magazine into the receiver. "Alright girls," she said with a hint of glee in her eyes. "Let's go hunt some Gemmarex."

/\/\/\/\|\/\/\/\/

A ways off, deeper in the forest, Kiana and Julius were still hiking their way through the dense forestry. The feline perked her ears up as a noise caught her attention. "Did you hear that?" She asked to Julius as they rested under a tree's shade.

The falcon nodded, gesturing for her to get up. "They're following us," he declared as she stood up. The two took off in a run again, trying to escape their distant pursuers. "We have to get out of here. The planes should be in that direction."

Kiana nodded as they ran, her breathing deep and quick as they traversed the forest. "Do you think they'll be able to catch up with us?" she asked as they ran.

As Julius took a chance glance over his back, he gritted his teeth, a lone bullet whizzing over his head. "I think they already have," he said spitefully as he reached for the pistol at his hip.

_[Now Playing: __**"Same Direction" by: Hoobastank**__]_

"There they are!" Galaxina shouted as she popped the bolt on her Glock-18, firing off in their direction, but missing in inaccuracy. "We've got to catch them!"

"Damn, they're onto us," Kiana clearly observed as she reached for her hip, pulling the pin on a grenade and tossing it back at their pursuers hastily.

"Watch it!" Starla yelled to her sisters as she stepped to the side, letting the grenade roll past them, exploding behind them. Though she could feel small particle of shrapnel lodge into her back, she gritted her teeth and continued running.

Julius took a sideways glance to Kiana and nodded to her, receiving a nod in return. The two ran headstrong toward a frontward tree, leaping up and hitting it with two sharp kicks, crashing through the trunk and causing it to collapse between the two groups. They then took cover behind the tree and began to aim their pistols at the Petali sisters.

"Take cover!" Galaxina shouted, diving behind another nearby tree to dodge the salvo of rounds. She winced, having been nicked by a round, but she shrugged off the pain, taking a quick glance around the corner to fire off a few rounds, ineffectively pelting the tree.

"C'mon, Galaxina!" Daisy yelled from behind another tree, loading the M203 under-barrel grenade launcher on her ACR assault rifle. "This is how you do it!" she shouted as she took careful aim, firing her grenade perfectly at the tree, causing a disruptive explosion and shooting shards and splinters of wood out in all directions.

The Gemmarex duo rolled to the side beforehand, dodging the initial explosion and most of the resulting wooden shrapnel. Julius peeked over the rest of the trunk, spotting the trees that the Petali quartet was hidden behind and waiting for one to make a move.

He took his opportunity as Cosmo stepped out to pop a grenade toward them. The two locked yes for a split second and he saw who she was: a little girl, pressured into a war that wasn't hers. To take aim at the grenade in her hand would've been a quick and easy death… but his pity told him not to. He took a shot, putting a .45 ACP round into her shoulder, causing her to drop the grenade before she could even pull the pin.

With a scream of pain, Cosmo hid back behind the tree, clutching her shoulder as green blood poured from the wound. With a feared glance from Galaxina, the eldest sister waved to Daisy, "Go help Cosmo! She needs medical attention!"

A quick nod from Daisy was all that was given as the fall-schemed Petali rushed over to her younger sister. "You're gonna be okay, Cosmo," she whispered as she put pressure on her wound. With a wince of disgust and a chuckle, Daisy continued, "You're gonna have to buy me a new dress when we get home. You can't just get blood out of a dress like that."

With heavy breathing and a roll of her eyes, Cosmo replied cattily, "You have ten dresses exactly like that one. You'll live without one."

Daisy smiled and clenched Cosmo's hand, binding the wound with a torn piece of Cosmo's dress. "I hope you will too," she replied, tears forming in her eyes as she comforted Cosmo. Turning over to Galaxina, the fall-schemed girl tossed over a small yellow canister. "Take it," she forced out through her gritted teeth.

Galaxina gave a firm nod as she pulled the pin on the flash-bang and tossed over the field, landing behind the Gemmarex' tree trunk of cover and exploding with its violently characteristic flash and bang, blinding and deafening the duo.

They cowered behind the tree, unaware that they were being surrounded. When their sight and hearing was regained, they realized that Galaxina and Starla had their guns at their heads. "Drop your weapons," Galaxina said threateningly as she fired off a warning round past their heads. "NOW!"

Without hesitance, Julius dropped his pistol, soon followed by the clatter of Kiana's pistol against the ground. They had been out fought… they were finished.

With the fight closing, Tails and Hertia soon arrived, having heard the gunshots. "What's going on here?" Hertia demanded as she looked around at the scene.

"Cosmo's hurt, mom!" Daisy shouted from afar, still trying to apply basic first-aid measures to her little sister. "She needs help!"

While Hertia rushed over to help Cosmo, those words rang in Tails' mind like a warning bell. He clenched his fist and narrowed his eyes at Julius and Kiana, a wave of black washing over his eyes before promptly disappearing. He aimed his metal arm at them, turning it into an energy sword as he glared at the two. "Answers," he simply said with a piercing stare. "I want answers… right now."

Julius glared back at Tails, the two locking their eyes for a brief moment. What the swallow saw almost shocked him. Anger… the kind of which he had seen so few times. The kind of anger you show when someone close to you is hurt badly. The swallow thusly reached for his pack and pulled out the Planet Egg, setting it on the ground. "This is what we came here for," he declared as he grasped Kiana's wrist. "If you let us live, we promise to leave you in peace, okay?"

The kit gave a quick glance to the Planet Egg, shoving it away from them with his tails. At the sight of his extra appendage, Julius spoke, "So, you're the one that Dark Spinel resents so much, huh?"

"Was it _that _obvious?" Tails mocked with a roll of his eyes as he held Julius at sword-point. He lunged forward, plunging the energy sword into Julius' shoulder. With a wince from his victim ad a cry of pain, the kit yanked the energy sword out of the swallow, morphing it back into his default arm.

"What did you do that for?!" Julius shouted, stumbling back into Kiana's arms.

The kit merely shook his head, picking up the egg and turning away. "You'll need some sort of excuse for failure if you want to be spared," he muttered darkly. "That should be a reasonable injury."

The kit then turned and nodded at Julius. "This is what you're going to tell him…"

_[Stop Music]_

/\/\/\/\|\/\/\/\/

Blue Typhoon

December-5-3199

17:27 Universal Time

A sigh escaped the hidden lips of Dark Spinel as he shook his head in frustration. "Alright, you two," he spoke in his deep voice to the duo that stood before him. "I'm going to repeat what you just told me, and I want you to clarify it for me."

Julius nodded, clasping Kiana's hand in comfort. The cat looked up to him for a split second before nodding as well. "Go ahead, sir," the swallow said.

The armored hedgehog sighed once more, pacing back and forth before the two. He took a quick glance to them, saying, "You had the egg."

"Indeed, that is correct."

"You were making your way back to the ships."

"Yes."

With a pointed glance, Dark Spinel then spoke, "And the Vale Tempest flew toward the planet, about to land."

"Uh-huh."

"You thought that it might blow you out of the sky, and to protect the egg, you stayed on Solei for a while longer to avoid them, at least till they landed."

"That's correct."

"You had lost your way back to the ships, they found you first, they made a hit and run, and that's how you lost the egg."

Kiana glanced up toward Julius' arm, the blood stain still bleeding through his black combat suit. She answered for him, "That's right, sir."

With another sigh from Dark Spinel, he waved his hand. "You two are dismissed," he spoke with a frustrated tone. "Get out of my sight."

A quick salute from the two earned them passage away from the bridge. As they passed out of the room, tension dropped between the two, and Julius sat against the wall as they rounded the next corner. "We're safe," he whispered exasperatedly.

Kiana sat beside him, brushing her hand across his shoulder, causing the swallow to flinch. "You're hurt, Julius," he spoke sadly. "You should go to the infirmary."

"It's fine, Kiana," he murmured to her, wrapping his arms around her. "You don't have to worry about me. Did you get hurt?"

"What are you talking about?" She gasped out as she leaned into his embrace. "I'm perfectly fine. You're the one who was stabbed in the shoulder."

A short silence passed between them. After a moment, Kiana spoke again, "Why did you do that?"

"Do what?"

"You know very well what you did!" she scolded him. "You got yourself hurt for me! I told you to stop doing that. You should be worried about yourself, but you're not!"

Julius sighed as he rubbed her back soothingly. "I guess I just didn't hear you when you said that," he whispered into her ear as he rocked back and forth with her.

Kiana sniffled slightly as he said that, knowing exactly what he meant. "You idiot," she muttered through tears. "You stupid idiot…"

Julius only listened to her as he soothed her, trying to calm her down. Even as she scolded him, he smiled. Everything was just like it always was. Normality was a good thing. It meant that things were going to be okay. Everything was going to be okay.


	9. Chapter 9

**AN: Ugh... so much homework. And I somehow managed to get this to you guys! You should be proud of me! You should worshi... That's asking a bit too much, isn't it? Never mind me. Read on!**

**Disclaimer: I neither claim nor own anything from Sega, Sonic Team, or Sonic X. I don't own the music nor the lyrics from the displayed songs. Please support the official releases.**

**Claimer: I own this plot and all characters not associated with the above mentioned.**

* * *

Undisclosed Location

December-7-3199

8:37 Universal Time

_[Now Playing: __**"Pretty Fly for a White Guy" by: The Offspring**__]_

On an unnamed starship, traversing the universe at complete random, with no destination in mind, the reptilian captain walked the halls. He jammed out to tunes that were fed into his headset and his gold-chain necklace jingled. His head bobbed and his thick tail swung back and forth as walked along the halls. Suddenly, he stopped in his motions and sung on, pumping his fist, "And all the girlies say I'm pretty fly for a white guy!"

Passing crewmen and passengers chuckled at the captains' antics and kept their knowing expressions to themselves. It was only moments later that the crocodile took a step forward and his heavy foot caused him to slip up. He fell flat on his back looking up at the ceiling. He grumbled cursing under his breath as he felt on the floor, his hand coming upon something soft and squishy. His hefty hand grasped the object and he stared at it. "A banana peel?" he muttered as he groaned. "It's going to be another one of those days…"

As he stood up, he looked onward in the hall and he spotted at least ten more peels in his path. With a chuckle, a confident smirk on his face, he eagerly turned the other direction and immediately slipped in a puddle of mud. He groaned even louder, letting cursing fly from his tongue. "C'mon! Why's there even mud in the middle of a space ship?" he complained as he stood up, the entire side of his body covered in brown mud.

Above him, in the air vents, a chameleon and his young bee companion looked at him. The bee chuckled as the chameleon shook his head, containing a laugh. "I don't know how you convinced me to do this, Charmy," the chameleon admitted.

"Oh admit it Espio," Charmy said as he nudged the purple reptile. "That was pretty funny."

Espio blushed, wondering how the insect could so easily deduce his true feelings. Of course, it was humorous to make fun of their so-called _leader _ever now and then. Regardless of the times that their crocodilian leader was truly serious, he always reverted to his obnoxious and oblivious nature after enough time. It made Espio wonder why he ever listened to the unobservant reptile.

Espio and Charmy dropped from their hiding place, surprising the crocodile and causing him to stumble backward, into the mud. The muddled reptile glared up at them. "What the hell was that for, guys?" he yelled at them as he stood up, only to slip in the mud again.

Charmy only pointed and laughed as his partner in the crime turned away. "Oh man, you should've seen your own face!" he exclaimed as he rolled on the floor.

Espio crossed his arms and looked pointedly at the crocodile with a serious expression. "We've got to keep the others happy somehow." A short moment of silence was held as they reminisced.

Meanwhile, Espio smirked and pointed off in another direction. "I suggest you take a shower soon, Vector," he said with a shake of the head.

Vector however seemed impartial to this. _It's not like we have anything to be late for… right? _He wondered as he stood up. "What's so important that I have to take a shower _now_?"

Espio quickly answered, "Well you are aware that this ship has a limited power source, are you not?"

"Yes, I am. What's that got to do—?"

"Are you also aware that that power source is running low?"

"… I am now."

"Well, we've found a star cruiser that's willing to take us in," Espio summarized. "It's called the Vale Tempest, and I think we should look nice for our hosts."

As Espio and Charmy walked away to get ready, Vector scratched his head in wonder. "Vale Tempest…" he muttered as he thought. "What kind of name is that for a ship?"

_[Stop Music]_

**/\/\/\/\|\/\/\/\/**

_**Syaoron the Fox presents**_

_**Fragmented Chaos**_

_**Chapter 9**_

_**Reunion**_

**/\/\/\/\|\/\/\/\/**

Vale Tempest

December-7-3199

9:16 Universal Time

Tails moved briskly through the Vale Tempest's maze-like structure and soon arrived in the hanger-bay. Looking around, he found the intercom and swiftly pulled the mike off of its hook. "All hands to the hanger!" his booming voice resonated throughout the entire ship. "We've got a ship that will be docking with us soon, so get yourselves prepared."

Unprepared for the clamorous words, Hertia rolled and fell from her bed in great shock. She groaned at having been awoken so suddenly, rolling out of her tangled sheets. _And I had been having such a nice dream, too, _she thought with a sad smile as she began to get dressed.

Looking back toward her bed, she noticed the great sleeping lump next to her and she groaned. Thinking it unfair that her husband be able to sleep any longer than her, she whistled loudly into his ear, startling the Thorndrigan into the world of the waking.

"Gees, Hertia!" Lucas exclaimed as he cradled his head, blocking his ears from the piercing noise. "Why'd you have to do that?"

He looked up to her and saw a slight twitch in her eye, indicating her fierce irritation. "I just think that you should be awake since Tails called us down to the hanger," she said rather indignantly as she went to go get dressed.

Lucas looked to Hertia as she shut the door behind her, locking it as she got dressed. He sighed and shook his head. Sometimes she got out of hand for the little things… but he realized it was probably her time of the month and he chuckled. "I better not get on her bad side," he noted to himself as he dressed in a sort of tunic.

With a sigh, he slowly exited their room, walking down the hall and banging on the walls to wake his daughters. "Get up, everyone!" he yelled to them loudly enough so he would rouse them. "We're meeting out in the hanger!"

With the girls soon dressing and everyone meeting in the bay, Tails typed away at the nearby terminal. A headset was positioned over his ear and mouth, allowing him to communicate with the boarding ship's captain. "Alright, we're opening the airlock," he directed them as the family watched him.

Galaxina gathered her siblings together in their huddle as they discussed amongst themselves. "I can't believe we're getting up this early," she groaned as she tried to tame her mangled hair.

Starla however chuckled as she looked at her watch. "You know Galaxina, it's a little past nine," she corrected her. Starla's bang-covered eyes glinted with mischief as she continued, "You woke up late today."

Galaxina fumed for a few short seconds after being corrected as she walked off, sighing as she conversed with her parents. Cosmo gave a worried expression, shrugging. Even she knew that when Galaxina walked off, she was shutting things down out of frustration, and was easily irritated in the early morn. "She's got a bad habit of doing that, huh?" Cosmo said immodestly.

"Yeah, she does," Daisy agreed as she combed her fingers through her chestnut hair. "I'm a bit more concerned about our unexpected guests."

It had been on all their minds; these newcomers. Were they possible enemies? Or maybe they were simply wandering travelers; lost in the vastness of space. Maybe the boarding party had been trailing them from a previous planet? These questions swirled in their head, until the most uncertain of them was made present.

Was Tails thinking the same thing? Was he too questioning the orientation of these people, whether or not they be friend or foe? Surely if he was betrayed before, he would be wary of it now… right?

The fox in question turned around after being tapped on the shoulder and he looked into the eyes of Cosmo, a concerned expression on her face. "Tails, why are you letting these travelers in if you don't know who they are?" she questioned him.

The kitsune took time to think about it as he dialed in the last few commands. Mechanical hisses could be heard from the sealing airlock and the opening doors as he explained, "It's how I was brought up." Tails twiddled his fingers as he messed with the controls some more. "Innocent until proven guilty; ally before enemy; all those ideologies. I was taught to believe that everyone is trustworthy and friendly until I have reasonable evidence to prove that they aren't."

The conversation was cut off as a red-schemed ship flew in from the doors, it's simple and bulky design suggesting that it was built with limited time to spare and limited expertise. Tails was surprised that the ship could even support itself for the condition that it was in. It landed with tripod legs and a ramp eased open, allowing its occupants to pour out.

_[Now Playing: __**"Prospekt's March/Poppyfields" by: Coldplay**__]_

The denizens had a weary air to them. The Mobian people all seemed to walk with some sort of hopelessness hanging above them. Widowed women sported puffy eyes, bloodshot from misery and tears. Their heads were hung low as they led along whining and crying children that couldn't keep from rubbing their eyes out.

The men were no different. Though they showed less of the melancholy that their fellow inhabitants did, the bags under their eyes showed stress enough to break an unmotivated man. What then was their motivation? As the kit looked at these people, his eyes widened in shock. Among them was a crocodile, a purple chameleon sporting ninja wear, and a bee that seemed to be a bit downtrodden though he tried to maintain a positive attitude.

Leaving behind a confused Seedrian family, the kit walked through the deluging crowd and stopped before the trio that had drawn his attention. As the Mobians took sight of the kit, they also gave an expression of shock.

The trio and the fox held a moment of silence as they simply stared at each other, astonishment hanging between them. "Vector?" Tails asked as he looked at them all. "Charmy; Espio… is that you?"

Vector gave a toothy grin to the young admiral and he offered his hand forward to shake. "The one and only, Tails," he answered for them. The young kit, elated by their unexpected arrival, held his hand forward to grip Vector's, though his hand was small in comparison to the crocodile's.

"Y-you're alive," Tails stammered, trying to keep his composure as he smiled. Great huzzahs were given at the reunion with the last of Mobian-kind, and great cheering reverberated throughout the ship.

With accommodations for the arriving party being set out, it gave Tails some down time to introduce the trio to the Seedrian family. "Everyone," Tails directed to the family from Planet Greengate as he looked back to the trio. "These are the leaders of the _Chaotix _resistance from my home planet: Vector, Espio, and Charmy."

"Don't let that fool ya'," Charmy said in a low murmur, a smug grin plastered to his face. "Vector couldn't lead a fish into water."

"Hey, I'm a great leader!" Vector exclaimed on his behalf, taking on a posture that attempted to exude responsibility. "You guys all know it, right?"

There was only silence. "Guys?" he asked again, disappointment crossing his face as he met the blank stares of the others. "Aw, c'mon…" he complained from the clear dejection that was meant for him.

Nonetheless, Espio patted his fellow reptilian boss on the back. "Don't worry, Vector," he said with an empty tone. "You'll earn their respect yet."

Vector then put his hand on Tails shoulder, his pointed stare indicating seriousness to the kitsune. "What are you doing out here, Tails?" he asked, a mind filled with curiosity hidden behind his green eyes. "I thought I told you to hide from Sonic? You're vulnerable out here, Tails. You're the only one out of all of us who has a chance at beating him."

"Wait a minute… the only one?" Lucas interjected speculated as he pointed at the kit. "Tiny here is the _only _one capable of bringing down the Gemmarex? Couldn't you have possibly found someone stronger than this… kid?"

Though Tails argued that he wasn't a kid, Vector shook his head at the suggestion. "Tails is the only one out of us that has the capability of accessing the power of light chaos energy," he explained, respect being shown toward the young kit.

"Light chaos energy?" Hertia questioned, just as confused as the rest of her children. "What is that?"

Vector glanced down to Tails, who in turn looked away from the rest of them. "I thought you would've told them, Tails," he said as he gestured to the chameleon. "Why don't you explain, Espio?"

The chameleon gladly stepped forward and began to explain, "There are two types of chaos energy: light and dark. While the leaders of the Gemmarex utilize the corruptive power of dark chaos energy, Tails can easily use its reciprocal. Tails has the power to cleanse corrupted people of their dark chaos energy. He can use the basic chaos powers when he has a chaos emerald, though he still hasn't mastered it yet."

Tails gave a sideways glance to the ninja, feeling that a few too many of his secrets were being revealed. Espio, however, merely gave his speech, "To our knowledge, he is the last person alive that can use these abilities, and is therefore the last hope we have."

Vector nodded and gave an approving grunt before redirecting his words to Tails. "Which brings me back to asking: Why didn't you just stay safe?" he asked him. The reaction he got from Tails was more than he expected.

"What, did you expect me to sit tight while Sonic takes over the world?" the kit asked rhetorically as he cracked his knuckles. "I can't do anything against Sonic if I'm hiding from him. I built this ship in three days using my chaos powers, and I can do a whole lot more if I'm out here."

Vector pondered what Tails had just told him, knowing in his heart that it was true. His rash assumption caused a blush of embarrassment to creep into his cheeks. "Yeah… well, I just… feel responsible," he said, trying to explain as he scratched at his head.

Tails looked at Vector, seeing past the humorous exterior and finding something sorrowful that he didn't expect. He thusly took it upon himself to ask, "Did Vanilla and Cream make it out?"

Anyone who knew the crocodile before the Mobian massacre knew also that he had a love-struck crush over a mother rabbit with a daughter by the name of Cream. Vanilla was a fine woman, and Vector respected that to some extent, though he tried to ease his way into gaining her affection. With his naturally upbeat audacity, if anything could cause that to falter, it was the death of the mother and daughter.

"Vanilla made it out," Vector said hesitantly. He looked away as he was reminded of his failures. "Cream didn't. Vanilla's been taking the worse side of PTSD lately."

"Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, huh?" Tails asked, already knowing the answer. Cream's death probably triggered something within Vanilla's mind, to his understanding. Perhaps the motherly doe was seeing things, or had simply shut down. Whatever it was, it was certain that Vanilla wasn't alright. "Bring her to the medical bay," the kit suggested. "I'll see what I can do when I get around to her."

Vector's eyes immediately widened. "You mean it?" he asked, a new hope seeming to light up his eyes. "Thanks pal! You're the best!"

"I try, Vector," Tails simply put as he waved him off with a smile. "Go attend to the rest of your fugitives. We can discuss other matters later."

_[Stop Music]_

With a brief goodbye, the Chaotix group left their presence and allowed the others go about their business. Only Cosmo stayed behind to talk with Tails. "Are they really from your home planet, Tails?" she asked, to which Tails answered with a nod. "So, is Vector like, your brother or something? Or maybe Espio?"

_[Now Playing: __**"If" by: Acoustic Eidolon**__]_

Tails chuckled from the mere thought. "No, they're a different species than I am," he answered. "I'm not related to either of them. Both my parents… um…" His voice faded as he thought about it.

"What happened to your parents, Tails?" Cosmo asked.

The kit only shook his head as he sighed, walking along the halls to his room with Cosmo at his heels. "They died back when I was really young," he stated sadly. "I don't remember them very well… But I know that they cared a lot about me."

"But, didn't you say that Sonic was your brother?" the young Petali asked, a bit confused. "How can he be your brother if he's not the same species as you?"

Tails shrugged, looking away a bit. "Sonic is more of a surrogate brother to me," he cleared up as he rolled his shoulder a bit, trying not to focus on it too much. "He took me in after my parents died and taught me to be who I am today. He was the closest thing to family I ever had."

They merely walked in a short silence thereafter. As they arrived at Tails' room, the kit allowed Cosmo in and they sat next to each other on the bed. Cosmo looked to a photograph on his shelf that had Tails, the Chaotix, and a few others she didn't know the kit looked genuinely happy in the photo. "Tails?"

The fox looked over to her. "Yes Cosmo?"

The Seedrian scooted a bit closer to him on the bed and looked up to him. "How does it feel to be lonely?" she asked, laying her hand on his.

Tails shook his head as he looked back on all the instances that lead to this, and he thought back to how things were before. With a sad sigh, he softly replied in a scratchy voice, "It hurts…"

He was surprised when he felt her dainty arms wrap around him. The Seedrian enveloped him in a hug as she comforted him. "You don't have to keep it all inside, Tails," she whispered to him. "Go ahead. Let the pain go. I'll make you feel better, I promise."

Tails looked to her, seeing the caring expression he often saw in her face. He saw her kindness and he almost fell apart, tears streaming from his eyes as he hugged her back, tightening his grip as he shed his tears. "It hurts so bad to know that their gone!" he cried out to her. "It hurts knowing that I'll have to kill them to save everyone else!"

Cosmo shushed him as she rubbed his back comfortingly. She looked him in the eye and cupped his cheeks in her hands. "It's okay, Tails," she murmured to him. "I'm here now. I'll take care of you."

No sooner than she had said that did Tails hug her again, his crying dulled to a soft whimper. "Please…" he whispered to her. "Please don't leave… You guys are the only family I have left… Promise me you won't leave…"

She only smiled down at him, comforting him the best she could. "I won't leave, Tails," she assured him. "_We _won't leave. I promise."

Cosmo could almost hear Tails purr with gratitude. "Thank you," he murmured to her. "Thank you… so much…"

The Seedrian girl chuckled and scratched his head. "No problem, silly," she playfully quipped. "No problem at all."

_[Stop Music]_

/\/\/\/\|\/\/\/\/

Blue Typhoon

December-7-3199

12:16 Universal Time

Dark Spinel sat at a table, holographic projections of his associates shone in the different seats of his table. "I now call this meeting to order," he said in his mechanically enhanced voice as he nodded to Black Obsidian.

The black armored hedgehog nodded back and looked around at the others. Amongst them was also Red Beryl, the commander that was in charge of the Master Emerald on board the Blue Typhoon, as well as White Zircon and Green Peridot—the commander of the Juniper Crescent battleship. Black Obsidian looked at a few pages of information that weren't present to the others and he spoke, "As you are all aware, the fox has still managed to elude our grasp…"

Before he could even kick off his point, the leader of the Reverent Burstfire was rudely interrupted by Red Beryl. "Yes, we are already aware of that," he spoke with a lull in his words, signifying annoyance. "What we're here to discuss is how to capture him correct?"

"Your statement is actually incorrect, Beryl," Zircon denied the statement as he pointed over to the black hedgehog. "Obsidian actually has some decent intel."

"Thank you, Zircon," Obsidian said, trying to hurry things up. "It has also come to the attention of our monitoring that the Chaotix resistance has joined up with him."

"Wait, you mean those idiots back on Mobius?" Peridot asked, confused slightly. "I thought we killed them all. How did they escape?"

"They were somehow able to build a ship that sustained them long enough to allow them to meet up with the Vale Tempest," Obsidian answered as he brought up a holographic map, showing the whereabouts of the Vale Tempest. "However, though this is shocking, that is not the reason we have brought up this meeting."

"Get on with it, then!" Beryl once again interjected. "Why are we here? I have a Master Emerald to tend to."

"We are getting to that, Beryl!" Spinel shouted at him, causing the armored echidna to become quiet. "Now shut up and let Obsidian present his information!"

After another short pause, Obsidian thanked their leader and said, "We have noticed that the Vale Tempest's current weakness is their fuel supply. They've been running on low and have been searching for a supply for quite a while."

The holographic map zoomed in on a specific planet. "This is Planet Dews, and it is the _only _planet in this entire galaxy cluster that can supply them with the power they need… and they are one mere astronomical unit from that planet. If they manage to obtain the power that we have stored there, it would be ruinous."

"Remind me again, Obsidian," Peridot spoke, trying to refresh his aviary memory. "What exactly do we have stored on that planet?"

Obsidian nodded and showed a schematic display of a small, glowing tube. "This is a Chemiosmosis Fuel Cell," he explained. "It has the capability to turn carbon-dioxide into energy. Alone, it is a power source that could only power your average human engine, but combined, these power cores could supply enough power to fully fuel the Vale Tempest."

"It is reasonable then to say that, in the case that they acquire these power cores, the Vale Tempest would be fully operational?" Spinel reasoned, receiving a nod from Obsidian. Then, standing from the seat, Spinel said, "I declare this meeting over. I will have guard duty doubled, even tripled to make sure that they do not acquire these cores."

With a nod from everyone, their holographs winked out and Red Beryl gave a short salute before returning to his post with the Master Emerald. Spinel then smirked as two figures from outside the room entered.

"Warrant Officer Julius," he addressed the first one. "Chief Petty Officer Kiana."

They both saluted him and stood at attention, slightly nervous for having been called from their posts. "I'm assigning you two to Planet Dews," he declared as he turned away, hiding a glint of malediction in his eyes. "It's about time you two redeem yourselves."


	10. Chapter 10

**AN: Yes! I was finally able to update this. The long break is really helping me concentrate on my writing. I hope you all enjoy this chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I neither claim nor own anything from Sonic, Sega, or Sonic X. The music used here is only suggested for utilization, and all rights go to the respective artist. Please support the official release.  
**

**Claimer: I own this modified plot, and all characters not affiliated with the above mentioned.  
**

* * *

XXXXXXXXXX

December-8-3199

15:32 Universal Time

_{Now Playing: __**"Lonely Day" by: System of a Down**__]_

Now that he thought about it, Tails realized that he didn't fear a lot of things. Even if he was a young kid, he had been exposed to a lot of things at a young age. Blood, death, enemies, heights, prejudice; the list went on, and he was immune to most of it. But, the two things he feared most were among the most common things in such a vast universe.

Lightning was an obvious one. Any avian would fear lightning. Lightning shorted out planes and caused them to crash, resulting in the death of the pilot and his passengers. It was a thing to be feared by all who traveled by air.

But he feared the second thing the most of all: Loneliness. The thought of being alone—with no one to comfort and be comforted by; no one to be with and to cherish—it made his heart grow cold and he whimpered from the feeling. In loneliness, he felt the truest despair, the most antagonizing pang of terror ever to be felt.

What then did he feel when his friends left him? When the world came crashing down on him, and no one was there to support him, the fox nearly crumbled. It took the most of his will to shine through his darkened despair and help him escape.

As the fox referred to his memories, he remembered running through the Blue Typhoon, trying to find the escape pods he had designed for the ship. He remembered the cold fear that ran through him and the crushing sadness that held fast to his heart. He was sure his sniffling was heard throughout the ship, but he didn't care. He needed to find a pod fast, or he knew he was going to die a lonely death.

He remembered the trauma he experienced when he held the dying Amy in his arms; the pink hedgehog that had hoped to win the heart of a now corrupted Sonic. He remembered her whimpers of pain and he remembered the cold, calculating look that Sonic gave him as he entered through one of the corridors.

And as Sonic approached him, he felt all sorts of feelings well within him. The sense of betrayal; that feeling like you knew it was the betrayers fault, yet you searched for reasons of how and why you could've prevented the event. A sense of loss as well, for the kit felt that the real Sonic—the Sonic he had grown up with and befriended—was lost somewhere and the evil mockery that was Dark Spinel had replaced him.

Most of all though, he felt the ever panging sense of loneliness that coiled round his heart and squeezed the life from him. The sort of solitude that could only be achieved when one had gained his friends, and held some close to him like family, only to have it all snuffed away in the blink of an eye.

Sonic—now plated in his armor—approached the kit, which was covered in Amy's dying blood. "How could you?!" Tails yelled at the hedgehog in all his rage and despair. "Why did you have to do these things?! I TRUSTED YOU SONIC! WHY DID YOU DO IT?!"

The kit only realized a few seconds later that he had been crying as the hedgehog sped next to him, kneeling down and looking him in the eye. Sonic brushed his gauntleted hand against Tails' cheek, wiping away the tear. The last thing he heard from the hedgehog before blacking out shocked him. "I did it for you, little buddy."

_[Stop Music]_

**/\/\/\/\|\/\/\/\/**

_**Syaoron the Fox presents**_

_**Fragmented Chaos**_

_**Chapter 10**_

_**Sub Terra Firma**_

**/\/\/\/\|\/\/\/\/**

"Yo, Tails! Snap out of it!"

The kit reopened his eyes and blinked in the direction of the crocodilian that had aroused him from his flashback. "We ain't got all day!" Vector scolded him with a very typical glare. The leader of the Chaotix had noticed the fox's spacing-out sometime ago, but even he knew when pressing business was at hand.

Tails shook his head and cleared his daydreamt thoughts. "Sorry Vector," he apologized as he looked upon the ruins that they had been exploring. Rubble and remains of buildings were found everywhere while rolling hills of green surrounded the small town.

The crocodile rolled his eyes, mumbling something incomprehensible under his breath as he walked off. Meanwhile, Charmy flew up next to him. "You sure that you got the energy reading from around here?" he asked. The kit could see boredom splayed over the bee's face as he flew upside-down.

Tails nodded in response. "Yeah," he said. However, as he reanalyzed his tablet for the readings, he found that they were a little further off. "They don't appear to be coming from this town though…"

Charmy took a quick look at the readings and he made a bee-line for the location of the readings. As he zoomed off, Tails shook his head, calmly walking toward the readings. "Whoa, guys!" Charmy shouted from afar. "You gotta come look at this!"

Tails raised a brow and groaned, letting out a loud whistle to draw together the explorers. With the Seedrian family, Espio, and Vector gathering at the designated area, they all gazed upon the scene that Charmy had discovered.

"Charmy, I thought you were a bee," Vector said as he looked on into the abyss that had extended before them. Jagged rocks extended from the cliff and the bottom couldn't be seen. Vector then looked back over to the childish bee. "All you're good at is finding holes in the ground!"

"Ha, you're very funny Vector," Tails mocked him while he glanced down into the deep crevice. "Still, Charmy could be onto something. If we can scale the cliff's walls, maybe we'll find the power source we're looking for."

Lucas clapped his hands together and cleared his throat. "What are we waiting for, then?" he asked with a smirk as he looked over to a rock that jutted out over the abyss. "Let's get going!"

Lucas placed a single foot on the hanging rock and in fell out from beneath him. He would've fallen had Espio not reacted with such great timing as to hold him up. "The footholds are too fragile for you guys," Tails noted as Espio set Lucas back on his feet. "We'll need the lightest of all of us to go down and check it out."

Tails glanced warily over their search party and he smiled. "Espio, Charmy, and Cosmo; I want all of you to come with me," he ordered.

Hertia however, unhappy with the decision, stepped forward and furrowed her brow. "Now Tails, why can't more of us go?" she asked. "I mean, I know Lucas and Vector are heavy weights, but what about the others?"

Tails sighed as he attempted to think of an explanation. "Look, I know you are all light enough," he said, referring to Hertia and her other daughters. "But Charmy and I have a weight limit too. We've only carried two people at once on certain occasions, and even then, it's difficult to maintain flight for very long."

Only with reluctance did Hertia back down as they prepared to dive into the crevice. Tails held tight to Cosmo while Charmy had already taken off with Espio. "You ready, Cosmo?" he asked her. After receiving her nervous nod, Tails revved up his tails and took off, floating slowly down into the abyss. "Do you see anything?" Tails asked in general, hoping for a positive response.

Charmy set Espio down on a foothold and the two looked about. Charmy shrugged after a while. "I got nothing, chief," the bee responded after looking around. He seemed a bit disappointed in a childish way, pouting when nothing was found.

"I've got nothing on my end either," Tails claimed, frowning a bit. He took a gander over to Cosmo, hoping that she had found something to go off of, but he only received a discouraged shake of the head.

Espio, using his trained ninja skills to walk on the underside of a ledge, pointed in a direction. "What about that cave over there?"

There, across from Espio in the abyss, was a cave hidden in the side of its walls. Tails smiled upon seeing it and nodded to the chameleon. "Thanks, Espio!" Tails said as he grabbed ahold of Cosmo and flew into the cave.

"Hey, wait up!" Charmy shouted as he picked up Espio and fluttered over to the cave.

"Sure is dark in there," Cosmo mused as she tried to see inside the cave, but was only greeted with a cold blackness. She could hardly even see where she was going.

Tails nodded, only being able to barely see with his enhanced vulpine vision. "Yeah, you better be careful, guys," he advised them as he felt around the cave. Once more, he checked his power radar and widened his eyes. "The reading is coming from somewhere near here… but there seems to be some interference."

"Interference?" Cosmo asked while she walked around in the cave. "What kind of interfere—whoa!" she cut herself off when her walking foot hit a rock, causing her to stumble into a wall. She thought she heard the click of a button upon hitting it.

Tails gasped a bit in surprise and rushed over to her. "Cosmo, are you okay?" he asked her.

She gave him a dazed nod, confirming that she was okay. However, when Tails lent her a hand to help her up, the entire cave began to shake and rumble. Dust began to fall from the ceiling, and soon rocks came tumbling down as well.

"What's going on?!" Espio shouted over the noise. He coughed as the dust entered his lungs and he grabbed ahold of Charmy, running toward the cave's exit. "We have to get out of here!"

Just as the cave came down on itself, Espio tossed Charmy to a nearby foothold and took a daring leap. With a grunt, he clung to the edge of the foothold, pulling himself up and onto it. "Do you think they got out on the other side?" Charmy asked Espio as he fluttered back toward the wall of rocks that blocked off the cave.

Espio merely shook his head. "I don't think there was another side."

/\/\/\/\|\/\/\/\/

_[Now Playing: __**"On Fire" by: Switchfoot**__]_

Cosmo groaned when she woke up, feeling a massive headache coming on as she sat up. The blood rushed to her head and ran its course in her body, soon relieving her of the headache. However, even though she was awake, she was only able to see very little. The only lighting that was provided in the dank caverns was supplied by weak crystals. She crawled over to one of the crystals, putting her hands close to it and feeling its warmth. It was then that she realized how chilly it was down in the cavern.

She blinked, suddenly remembering that Tails was probably down here with her. "Tails?" she called out to him, standing up and swishing her head around, the cave illuminated by the iridescent glow of the pale crystals. She soon spotted the kit, his yellow fur gleaming as the glow reflected off of it. For a moment, she was amazed by the vibrant tone of his fur before she turned back to the matter at hand.

"Tails?" she asked once more when she had knelt by his side. She shook him, trying to wake him up. She blushed a bit when she realized how luscious the texture of his fur was, but she cleared her thoughts, focusing on waking him up. "C'mon Tails… wake up…"

She kept shaking the kit until she had elicited a groan from him. Tails rolled onto his side, pawing at the ground as he tried to get up. Instead of managing to his two feet, Tails stumbled back into Cosmo's arms and she caught sight of a laceration across his forehead, leaking blood from it. "Tails, you're hurt!" she exclaimed to him as she held him tight.

The kit wearily looked up to her, blinking to clear his hazy vision. "Cosmo?" he asked as he saw her caring expression. "What happened? Where are we?" he questioned in his daze as he tried to regain his bearings.

Cosmo looked up and sighed. "It looks like we fell down here," she said. "I guess we're still inside the cavern, but the way out is blocked off."

Tails sighed and tried to stand up, but Cosmo pushed him back down. "Stay right there, silly," she ordered him politely as she tore a bit of cloth from her dress. Taking the strip of cloth, she tied it around her forehead to stop the bleeding. "Do you need some help standing up?"

Tails groaned a bit and nodded, taking Cosmo's hand and slowly standing up. He put an arm around her shoulder, and they walked carefully into the cavern. "Thank you, Cosmo," he said tiredly. "I'm sorry that I'm only dead weight right no—"

Cosmo shushed him, holding her finger against his lips. "None of that, Tails," she whispered. "You saved my life. You're not dead weight. You just need to heal up, that's all."

Tails smiled and nodded to her as they hobbled off in the dark. "These crystals are pretty, aren't they?" Tails mused, changing the subject.

Cosmo hummed in agreement. "They are," she said. "They give us a little light too."

Tails grinned at that thought, wondering what would be at the end of the tunnel. They didn't have to wait long before they found the end. In a cavity of all the rock, an entire manufacturing plant was found and they marvel in the complication of its appearance. Yellow lights overhead seemed to flutter and fly down to them, revealing themselves as a breed of lightning bug.

Even though he was impressed by the stature of the manufacturing plant, he gritted his teeth. "That's Gemmarex technology," he said while examining the foreboding complex. "That's where the power source is located…"

Cosmo looked over to the kit and noticed his displeased expression and chuckled a bit, letting him stand on his own. "C'mon, then," she encouraged him while walking ahead. "We better go check it out, no?"

Seeing Cosmo's happy face seemed to put Tails' worries to rest as he hurried next to her. "Yeah, let's go," he said as they neared the building. He looked around for a place they could get in and he smiled upon seeing an air-duct, prying off the panel and crawling inside. Cosmo soon followed him and they crawled through it. Tails was a bit displeased to see that the duct's path ended shortly and he pried the next panel off, allowing them inside the complex which was properly lit.

"Even though it's a Gemmarex building, it still seems nice," Cosmo noted as they walked through it. "We haven't even seen a single guard or security camera."

Tails nodded, wondering what the lack of guard meant for them. Whether it was going to be their unbecoming or their salvation, he didn't know. He did know that with such a valuable source of power, they weren't going to leave it completely unguarded. He was proved right when he peered around the corner and a guard stood in their path.

Tails shook his head to Cosmo, signaling for her to be quiet. When the guard turned his head away from their part of the hall, he rushed quietly to the other side, with Cosmo soon following. He breathed a sigh of relief that they hadn't been seen and he crept along the halls. "Not completely unguarded," he said. "I guess it must be lunch break for them or something."

Cosmo chuckled a bit at that suggestion. "Then we better not find the cafeteria," she joked, receiving a chuckle from the fox. She had known him long enough to realize that Tails needed a bit of lightheartedness in his life.

Even with the small joke, Tails was still wary. He took the chance of calm to morph his robotic arm into the basic arm cannon that he had. "You can never be too careful," he simply put as he rounded another corner and blasted a guard in chest. The concussive blow had knocked out the Gemmarex and Tails dragged him into a nearby duct.

"What do you think is in here?" Tails asked Cosmo. The Seedrian girl merely shrugged and tried to open the door, frowning when it wouldn't.

"It must have a lock on it or something," she said as she tried budging the door again with no luck. "It just won't budge a bit."

Tails looked at the door, judging how strongly built it was, and he began to charge up a blast in his arm cannon. "Back away, Cosmo," he suggested to her. When the young Petali looked back and saw his charging arm cannon, she quickly fled from the doorway. Tails made quick scrap of it as the door was blasted open.

They were both impressed by what lay in the corridor. Examination tubes along the hall held suspended green, glowing cylinders. "These are the power sources that my radar caught!" he exclaimed as he viewed them. "These must be advanced pieces of technology to emit so much energy in such a small object."

Cosmo blinked a bit, surprised that the kit was so excited about and she tapped him on the shoulder. "So, what are you going to do with them, Tails?" she asked him.

Tails almost seemed to laugh at the suggestion as he blasted through the glass containers. "I'm going to take some, of course." He said while grabbing six of the containers and placing them in his pack. "Let's get out of here, Cosmo," he suggested. "They should have some kind of escape pod or something in the building."

"Alright Tails," Cosmo agreed with a smile. They both then set off to find a way out of the factory.

_[Stop Music]_

It wasn't too much longer before alarms blared overhead and their casual walk turned into a somewhat panicked run. As they traversed the confusing halls, going back and forth, Cosmo sighed. "Tails, do you know where you're going?" she asked him.

Tails groaned a bit, swishing his head around the halls and looking for something that seemed familiar. "Not a clue," he simply stated in his confusion. However, as his eyes landed on a familiar Swallow and Cat. "But I do know how to find out."

_[Now Playing: __**"Dare You to Move" by: Switchfoot**__]_

Tails stealthily approached the duo of Gemmarex and he pointed his arm cannon at the Swallow's back. "If it isn't Julius," he said as he held him at gun point. He then nodded over to the Cat. "And Kiana, if I remember correctly."

Julius groaned a bit and turned his head a bit, looking at the fox. "Miles Prower," he replied. "What do you want?"

"We want a way out," he demanded as he thrust the end of the cannon into Julius' back. "Sometime today, if you please."

Julius looked over to Kiana, and her back to him, and he sighed. "Alright, let's go," he sighed as he spoke, slowly walking forward and guiding them along the way. "What are you doing here, Tails?"

The kit glared and shoved him again. "That's not your place to ask," he threatened the Swallow as they walked through the halls. When the occasional guard came along, Tails redirected his aiming quickly enough to dispatch the threat. As soon as the enemy was gone, he pointed the cannon back at Julius. "Keep walking."

Julius sighed and repeated the question, "What are you doing here?"

Tails only shook his head. "We came for the only thing that we could find in this base," he said. "We need a fuel supplier for the Tempest, and we found it down here." He took a moment to think about that cave that led to the underground facility and he groaned. "You people need a better way to get in here."

Casually, as though nothing had happened, Julius remarked, "You got a point there. The cave entrance generally has problems like that and we have to send someone to clean it up or repair it."

Tails chuckled a bit, keeping his arm poised at Julius' back. "That so?" he said. Snapping his eyes over to the right for a while, he nodded to Cosmo, who fumbled around with her silenced pistol before taking out a guard that had seen them. Then, Tails spoke again, "Why didn't you destroy the entrance in general? Maybe we wouldn't have found it that way."

Kiana glanced back at Tails and sighed, shrugging. "Guess we never got around to doing it," she said. "Perhaps we'll take it out later."

At this, Tails laughed a bit harder. "Not gonna do you much good now," he said, becoming a bit more trusting of his captives and going so far as to lower his weapon. "We already got in."

Kiana narrowed her eyes as she looked back at Tails. "You know, we have our guns," she threatened him. "We could just as easily point ours at you and take you hostage."

Tails only chuckled. "We've both helped each other out, even though we're on opposite sides. I trust you," he said to them. "On the other hand, if you do try and pull a weapon on us, I can react faster than you can shoot. Cosmo is armed too, you know."

Though Kiana was about to make a remark, she soon realized that she had no comeback to his counter-threat, and she sighed. "Fine then," she said. "You win."

Julius nudged Kiana a bit and smiled. "Don't worry, Kiana," he said to her. "He took care of us before. He'll take care of us now."

Julius' cat companion rolled her eyes and sighed, walking forward. "You had better be right about this."

"Have I ever led you astray?"

"Do you want me to answer, or should I get a list?"

Cosmo shook her head as she watched the two bandy back and forth. "Geez, those two bicker more than the Chaotix," she observed with a sigh. "Do they hate each other?"

Tails chuckled and shook his head as he eyed the odd couple. "No, they love each other," he claimed.

Cosmo, confused by the statement, looked back and forth between their guides and the kit that walked beside her. "Are you joking?" she asked. "The only other people I've ever seen who argue like them are—"

"Your parents, right?" Tails finished her sentence, causing Cosmo to blink, still a bit confused. "Some people express their love in arguments. They go on and on just to show each other that they care."

Cosmo looked on at the Gemmarex duo and rolled her eyes. "That's a strange way of showing you care," she said. "It's like saying they disagree with each other because they love each other."

"That's exactly right."

Cosmo would've made a replied, but Julius spoke up to them, "Hey, what are you two talking about?"

Tails chuckled a bit and waved his hand in dismissal. "Don't worry about it," he said. "Why do you ask?"

The Swallow then pointed to the end of the hallway and smiled. "This is the room that holds all our escape pods," he explained as he typed in a few access codes, allowing the door to slide open and revealing shafts that held the pods. "In the event that one of the cores you took happens to have a meltdown or malfunction, we made this."

Tails looked at the pods, checking a nearby panel to see that they were all in operable condition before he had Cosmo climb in one of the pods. Before he got in, he turned back to Julius and nodded. "If anyone asks, we took you hostage," he ordered. "Those that were knocked out or killed were unable to take you back because we had threatened to kill you two and if they made a move on us."

The kit then turned away and sat down in the pod, holding a lever. "Oh, and there were twenty of us; war veterans armed with assault rifles," he finished before pulling down the lever and launching them off and away from the complex.

As Tails relaxed in the pod, he looked down at his feet wearily to see a small crystal that glowed green. "Nova?" he wondered as he picked up the small stone.

"What is it Tails?"

The fox turned to his Petali companion and smiled, shaking his head. "I'll tell you later after I study it."

_[Stop Music]_


	11. Chapter 11

**AN: Ooh, this one's a long one! You guys will like it. This will also be the first time where I directly avert from the original plot of Sonic X.**

**Disclaimer: I neither claim nor own anything from Sega, Sonic Team, or Sonic X. All rights of characters are due respectively.  
**

**Claimer: I own all characters and plot elements not explicitly owned by the above mentioned.**

* * *

Sick Bay—Vale Tempest

December-9-3199

22:47 Universal Time

_[Now Playing: "__**The Fletcher Memorial Home" by: Pink Floyd**__]_

When Tails and Cosmo had arrived back at the Vale Tempest to everyone's welcoming surprise, they had sported their spoils, showcasing the fuel cells they had taken from the underground Gemmarex base. Of course, when they were asked how they got out, the two only chuckled and said that they had inside help.

However, with the power restored fully to the ship, Vector nodded to Tails. Solemnly, the kit nodded back and the two went off. Daisy raised her brow, crossing her arms as she watched them. "What's up with them?"

Hertia only patted Daisy's shoulder and gave a look of knowing sympathy in the retreating duo's direction. "Didn't Vector say something about someone who needed therapy?" she reminded her daughter. "Someone important to him? And Tails promised him he would get on it as soon as the power—"

"I get the point, mother," Daisy responded, sass becoming quite clear in her tone.

It was after this that we find our young kit laboring over his mechanical arm, installing the shard of nova that Julius had left them as a departing present into his beam cannon. "Tails, I thought you were gonna be helping out Vanilla," Vector complained. "What is screwing around with your gadget gonna do for us?"

Tails merely sighed, glancing over to their patient. Vanilla was the mature rabbit's name. Vector constantly referred to her as Ms. Vanilla when he was in her presence. Vanilla lay on the bed, shivering and shuddering a bit. "Vanilla doesn't have a mental problem, Vector," he said. "If she did, even I couldn't do anything about it."

Vector only huffed and narrowed his eyes impatiently. He tapped his large foot noisily. "Well can't you just cure her or something then?"

Tails only rolled his as he cocked back the cannon, priming it. "It's not _that_ simple," the kit tried to explain through his gritted teeth, frustration coming over him. "It's an infection of Dark Chaos that's taking over her neural system. I need to take it out at the source."

Vector glanced down to his love interest, then back to the arm cannon and he widened his eyes. "Whoa now, Tails!" he exclaimed. "You're not gonna kill her are you? You don't want to do that!"

Once again the kit rolled his eyes. "Vector, I'd have killed her by now if I wanted to!" he exclaimed, poking Vector's scaly belly. "I don't need nova to kill her. When concentrated energy passes through a nova filter, it creates a high-frequency energy beam. Because the brain and body use low amounts of electricity when in a comatose or disabled state, it gives me time to operate and take out the Dark Chaos, which _also _happens to emit high-frequency energy."

Vector only shrugged, grunting indifferently. "And what does that mean to me?" he asked dryly.

"It means you'll be able to tell Vanilla all about that wedding day you wanted to have," Tails mocked the crocodile, noticing the crimson sign of embarrassment seep into Vector's cheeks. Having won the squabble, Tails turned back to the mature rabbit. He formed a sort of scalpel with his nova beam and neared Vanilla's forehead.

He twitched his head over to the side for a split second, noticing that Vector had his eyes covered in anxiety. "You can look, you know," he noted blatantly. "It's a high-frequency beam. I can heighten the frequency so it'll go right through her. Don't worry so much."

It was with that said that Tails pierced her with the scalpel. True to his word, not a drop of blood spilled from Vanilla's forehead, and she remained quiet. The only thing she did was shudder as the Dark Chaos was driven from her mind. "Be ready with that energy container, Vector," he ordered as a dark cloud of neon blue substance began to flourish from Vanilla's head.

Vector stood by Tails with a small canister in hand, nervous about the operation. "What do you want me to do with this thing?" he asked confused at the operation of the device.

"Just press the blue button," Tails ordered as he tried to momentarily contain the Dark Chaos with his nova beam. When he noticed a lack of reaction, he groaned. "Push the blue button _now_!"

The uncoordinated crocodile fumbled with the device before he found the button and pressed it. Instantly, the Dark Chaos surrounding Vanilla was drawn into the canister, sealed away by the energy repression chamber.

Vector nibbled on his fingers after he put the canister down, still unsure if she was going to wake up. Tails only smiled and walked away. "Tell her I said hi, okay?" he asked as he passed out of the sick bay and into the hall. Someone had to commandeer the ship.

While traveling back to the bridge, he could hear cries of joy echoing from the sick bay. Tails only smiled to himself, wiping away a lone tear. "Another good night's work," he murmured tiredly to himself.

_[Stop Music]_

**/\/\/\/\|\/\/\/\/**

_**Syaoron the Fox presents**_

_**Fragmented Chaos**_

_**Chapter 11**_

_**One Good Reason**_

**/\/\/\/\|\/\/\/\/**

Bridge—Vale Tempest

December-10-3199

11:05 Universal Time

_[Now Playing: __**"Glass of Water" by: Coldplay**__]_

Ms. Vanilla Rabbit's recovery had gone swiftly once the Dark Chaos had been purged from the widow's mind. Why, by the very next morning she was up and about; tending to the other injured refugees. However, seeing as she was still recovering, she had started her break at the eleventh hour and was accompanied by Vector as they went to the on-board kitchen for a cup of fresh brew.

Tails, having worked late into the night on similar patients with Vanilla's problem, slept into the late evening and was only now arriving at the master control dashboard on the bridge. He gave a weary hello to the others who helped operate on the bridge. Some of Vector's refugees had expertise in battleship operation, and they had volunteered to help.

"Computer, give me current coordinates and the locations of the nearest high-power readings," he ordered the system's A.I. while he typed his password in. "Filter results for those most likely to be Gemmarex outposts and search for wavelengths on the Chaos magnitudes. Bring results up on the navigation screen."

While the computer ran its programming, Tails smiled at a certain person who passed by. "Galaxina!" he greeted her. "I didn't know you were much of a morning person."

She only groaned and rolled her eyes. "You _do _know it's almost noon, don't you?" she questioned him, furrowing her brow in his direction. Tails recoiled noticeably from the glare as she walked past him. With a sigh, he only went back to the computer.

Recently, Galaxina had been taking Lucas' side in their many recent arguments. The kit wondered what he did that gave the eldest sister reason to dislike him, but it didn't bother him too much. He felt a pat on his shoulder and he glanced back at the Thorndrigan who fathered the family. "Believe me, kid," he said with a light chuckle. "Whatever you did to tick off Galaxina, it takes a lot to get her all riled up."

Tails let out a soft exhale, turning back to the screen as it gave him a few coordinates. "I hope she doesn't hold too much of a grudge against me," he murmured. A few more meaningless algorithms passed by on the screen and he gave a shrug. "Do you think I'll be able to figure out what got her so angry at me?"

"Beats me kid," Lucas answered with a stifled laugh. "It could just be her time of month."

Tails frowned, crossing his arms. "Time of month? What do you mean by that, sir?" he asked quizzically.

Lucas glanced back down at him, suddenly remembering that he was talking to a child, and he scratched his cheek. "Oh, it's nothing you need to worry about," he admitted, waving his hand in dismissal. "Anyway, what're you looking at there?"

Tails turned, looking at the display again and tapping a few things on-screen. "I'm looking for the next place for us to strike," he explained as he opened up the map of their current planetary system. A beacon lit up with the next Gemmarex location. "Now that we're fully operational, we have to start hunting down the emeralds. We have two, and I don't know how many they have. For all I know, they may not have any more. They may have all of them. That's why we need to start hunting down high sources of power."

As Lucas eyed the projection of their new coordinates, he nodded. "I remember that planet," he said. "I used to be an ambassador. A few of your species settled on that planet when I had last visited."

As Tails examined it, blowing up the image of the planet so he could get a more detailed look at it. "You think it's possible that the people from my planet could've gotten them to join their cause?" he asked as he continued to study it.

Of course, all that Lucas was able to do was shrug. "Who knows? If the Gemmarex got to them, it's possible. For all we know, they could've been brainwashed by the powers of Dark Chaos, like with that rabbit."

Tails knew that was very much a possibility as he looked took master control of the ship, arranging their trajectory. "Jenson!" he shouted down to the bridge. "Calculate a trajectory that'll put us in orbit around that planet."

The energetic and loyal "yes sir!" he received was soon followed by a plotted trajectory sent directly to Tails' terminal. He smiled, happy that he had such a vibrant crew.

"Good job, Jenson," he complimented to his unseen advisor, inputting the coordinates and allowing the ship to correct its course. Soon enough, the Vale Tempest was in orbit around the planet. Tails glanced back at Lucas and sighed. "Uh… do me a favor Lucas and go get your daughter."

"Which one?"

Tails sighed, massaging his forehead when he realized his basic mistake. "Galaxina," he corrected himself.

Lucas chuckled deeply, humoring the thought of Tails adding Galaxina to his reconnaissance mission. "Do you really want to do that, son?" Lucas asked, shamelessly belting his laughter. "If you have Galaxina angry at you, you're pretty much granting yourself a death wish."

Tails only raised his brow as he logged out of the system. "I thought you said Galaxina was an ambassador too?" he questioned, clicking a few buttons and locking the master controls. "Is there a reason she shouldn't come?"

The Thorndrigan gave a groan and held up two fingers. "I'll give you two reasons why that won't work, Prower," he said, noting the two extended fingers. "First of all, she's pissed off at you; for a reason only God knows. And then you have the problem of her diplomatic skills. I believe I mentioned that she was an ambassador _in training_. For all I know, she could get you two captured... or boiled in oil." The elder Seedrian chuckled after his valid reasons were given. "So remind me kit, why do you _really _want her to come along?"

Tails sighed, pushing his fingers together in his embarrassment. "Alright, so I want to discuss some things with her," he admitted. "I just want to see why she's so angry at me."

Lucas walked toward the entrance to the corridor, leading to the mess hall so he could grab a bite to eat. "Should I begin writing the sermons now?" he mocked the kit as he walked out. "Perhaps you'd like me to prepare your will?"

"Very funny, Lucas; you're a natural born comedian."

_[Stop Music]_

/\/\/\/\|\/\/\/\/

Planet Proditor

December-10-3199

17:37 Universal Time

An early night had stretched on the nearby planet, around which the Vale Tempest orbited. Down below on the planet's surface, Tails and Galaxina had been dropped and were currently exploring, attempting to find the settlement they had located mere hours before hand. The land was—as the all the others—a new experience for him. However, Galaxina saw this new experience in a different light.

"Why did you have to drop us in this swamp?!" the eldest of the four sisters complained as she stepped over muddy puddles and swatted at bugs that flew around them. She nearly tripped over a tree root, stumbling forward a bit. She barely maintained her balance by leaning on a nearby tree. "I thought we were supposed to be ambassadors! How am I going to look good for my diplomatic strategies when I'm wading through this mucky swamp?"

Tails only groaned, suddenly wondering why he had brought her along in the first place. "Would you just shut up about that already?" he sighed. "We don't even know how they'll receive our diplomacy. Gemmarex could've overrun them, and then we'd be dead! Diplomacy won't do us much good then. We have to observe from a distance first."

"A distance? We're three whole kilometers away!"

"It's actually only two kilometers."

"That's irrelevant!" Galaxina shouted in response. She dragged her hand over her eyelids, stretching them in her frustration. "I don't want to be here. And why the hell is it night time? It's only 17 o'clock for goodness sakes!"

Tails shook his head, stepping easily over fallen logs and roots in his path. "You seem to be forgetting that this planet revolves on its axis faster. Day and night switch faster because of it."

"But my question remains," she remarked. "Why do we have to do this at night?"

"Honestly, I thought you'd have picked up on some of my standard tactics by now," Tails spicily replied. "We go under the cover of night to stand of better chance of not being spotted. You know, unless you enjoy eating a machinegun sandwich."

Galaxina nearly fumed, but being ladylike in her nature, she calmed down and gave a firm glare to Tails. "Alright then, fox. Riddle me this," she said. "If I complain so much, and I don't know your standard tactics, _and _you know all of this, then why did you decide to take me along in the first place? Why not Cosmo?"

Tails merely sighed, narrowing his eyes as he gave the Petali girl a onceover. "I wanted to ask you about what's bothering you so much," he admitted as they finally reached the outskirts of the swamp area. The kit sat on a rock, frowning as he looked up at the blue-schemed girl. "You seem to be harboring some kind of contempt for me."

"You're absolutely right. I am."

The kitsune rubbed at his eye, still a bit tired from his lack of sleep. "Why?"

Galaxina only scoffed and sat down on a rock adjacent to his. "You really think I don't see it?" she asked. "I see the way you two look at each other and talk to each other. I notice how you take her on missions with you a lot."

Tails suddenly blinked. "Wait, is this about Cosmo?" he asked her, suddenly understanding her reference. "Are you jealous? Is that what this is about?"

"No, you fool!" she shouted at him, pointing an accusing finger at him. "I know you're making a move on her! Stay away from my sister, you hear me?"

Tails remained quiet for a few moments before bursting out into fits of laughter. "You think I'm trying to ask her out or something?" he clarified. "I'm nowhere near as confident with women as you think I am."

After humming for a few seconds, Galaxina twisted the petals on her head in confusion. "You're not?" she wondered aloud, contorting her expression through her confusion. "But you've had to spend so much time with all of us women…"

"It's not quite the same thing. I'm not very good with relationships," he responded, scratching his nose. "I love all of you. You've all taken me in as though I was family, and you treat me like family… You know, with the exception of Lucas. He still kinda treats me like dirt."

Galaxina seemed to lighten up a bit and gave a friendly laugh. "Oh yeah, he still kinda does," she remembered. She remained to tap her chin however, still in thought. "What about Cosmo?" she inquired. "What are your feelings for her?"

As the query was spoken, it put a thought in Tails' head as he tried to see the youngest Petali sister in that sort of light; as a closer companion. He blushed noticeably before looking away. "I… we can talk about this later," he stuttered as he pointed to a few lights in the distance. "I can see the settlement up ahead."

_[Now Playing: __**"Shot in the Dark" by: Within Temptation**__]_

Galaxina rolled her eyes, noticing her partner's clear attempt to divert from the subject, but gave a slight nod anyway, standing up at the same time as the young kit. They dashed up the hill, the settlement lying just beyond it. The discreet duo crawled into a prone position as they peered over the hill. "There they are," Tails whispered.

The kit looked over to Galaxina, noting that she had given a signal to run down. The two quickly made their way down the hill and into the small town, hiding in the alleyways. "First thing' first," Galaxina whispered. "You said we have to see if they're enemies, neutrals, or friends; right?" Tails gave a quiet nod, noticing the determination hidden in her eyes. "Then we have to observe them."

Tails nodded, grasping her wrists and flying to the roof a nearby building. Admittedly, the city seemed quite normal at first glance. There was a park in the middle of the city, with small shops scattered around it. The center of commerce was what Galaxina had identified it as. It seemed to be a serene place, with people gathering around the streets.

However, as they glanced down to the boulevard, Tails grimaced. Members of the local militia were parading around the block, hoisting burning torches and black flags that bore a white dot with two spiraling white streaks that encircled the dot. He recognized it immediately as the Gemmarex insignia. "I don't think we'll be able to talk to them," he said uneasily as he grasped Galaxina's wrists and flew her down to the streets.

Galaxina gasped. "Tails, are you insane?" she questioned the flying kitsune, her eyes shaking in fear. "They'll catch us for sure if you put us down there!"

Tails only shushed her, pulling her aside and into the alley. "Take one of these and put it on," he ordered her. He retrieved two black cloaks, stuffing one of the fabrics into Galaxina's arms before hastily putting his on. "This will hide our identities for the time being."

Galaxina took a skeptical look at the draping cloak, confused at its simplicity. "That's it?" she asked, rather unimpressed by it. "No invisibility shield? No warp trigger? No active camouflage? You expect us to disguise ourselves with a cloak?"

The kit pursed his lips and sighed, putting the offending piece of clothing over Galaxina. "Just put it on," he said, dragging her out into the crowd. His bionic arm took on the form of his arm cannon, empowered with the nova from before. "Just be ready to get out of here at any moment."

They hid among the traveling crowd, watching as they gathered at the center of the park where a platform stood. The elevated platform was guarded all around by Gemmarex soldiers and lit dimly by torches. It appeared to them to be some sort of pep rally or massive riot.

A lone chipmunk stood on the platform before a microphone placed on a stand. It took all of Tails' will not to gasp as he sighted the she-chipmunk, immediately recognizing her. "Aunt Sally?" he breathed out, hardly audible only to Galaxina.

"Who?" the Petali girl asked. For a moment she saw confusion, fear, and pain all swirling in the eyes of the young, Light Chaos user. She noted the features of the chipmunk; her denim vest, teal combat boots. The most alluring of her features though were here unnaturally black eyes, as if a deeper presence was hidden within. She wondered for a moment what connection the kit had with her. "Who's that?"

There was no time for an answer as Sally began her speech. "People of Planet Proditor!" she greeted them, receiving a loud huzzah in response from the gathering crowd. "It is with great pleasure that the Gemmarex accept you into our universal alliance! We have already begun the draft, and are delighted to see that so many of you are complying quickly and willingly with it. It will mean a great victory that we have you all on our side.

"However, there is one obstacle that you need to be made aware of," she continued, clicking a small switch that lit the nighttime area with holographic projections of Tails and the Chaotix. "Miles Prower and a group of insurrectionists known as the Chaotix have defied us for far too long. They are priority-one targets, and will need to be taken care of. They have been known to be traveling with a family of Seedrians from the nearby planet Greengate, on a spaceship known as the Vale Tempest. We are currently unaware of their position…"

Galaxina tuned out the rest of the announcements that were being made when she turned to her partner, noticing that his arm cannon was primed and he was aiming it at the chipmunk on stage. "Tails, are you insane?" she hissed at him. She couldn't see the tears in her eyes, as they were hidden behind the hood he used to cover his head. "They'll all hear you, and you'll get us into trouble."

Whether he was going to respond then and there, she wasn't sure. They were grabbed from behind, their arms pinned, preventing him from responding. "Gotcha," Galaxina's captor grumbled. Even with her back faced to him, Galaxina could sense the smirk on his face.

They were shoved forward and the crowd making way for new captives. The spying duo was brought up onto the stage, forced to kneel before the chipmunk. Sally only gritted her teeth as she paced toward Tails. "Well, if it isn't Miles Prower: Public Enemy Number-one," she mused dryly, her sharp voice grinding through barred canines and piercing the kit like daggers in his heart. "It irks me to know that I have to keep you alive."

Galaxina could only watch. They're hoods were pulled back, revealing to her the tearstained cheeks of the young kitsune. "Aunt Sally, this isn't you!" he shouted at her while bucking in the grasp of his captors, trying to break free. "Why are you acting this way? What happened to you?"

Galaxina could hardly hear the soft breathing of Tails when Sally laid a hand on his cheek, almost caringly. A false feeling, shown clearly as she brought her hand about the kit's face, leaving a stinging red mark. "I could ask the same of you, traitor."

"I'm not the traitor! All of you are!"

Sally only glared indignantly at him as she turned her back on them. "Take him away," she coldly ordered the captors. "Do with the Petali what you wish."

Tails almost couldn't believe what he heard. He bit his bottom lip, trying to deal with the horrible reality that he had been dealt. In an almost cold and calculating manner, he tugged the edges of his lips into a smile and charged a blast on his arm cannon. "Not today, Sal," he snidely remarked as he let loose the blast, distracting the guards long enough for them to get out of their hold. His eyes immediately darted over to Sally, a befuddled look on her face, and he lunged at her, grabbing her up in his arms much to her dismay.

"Unhand me, scum!" she shouted at him, suddenly becoming completely defenseless without her ability to fight back."

Tails only ignored her as he looked back over to Galaxina. "We have to get out of here while we still can," he suggested to her as he heaved a struggling Sally in his arms. "I know how to snap her out of this."

Galaxina nearly paled as she fired a few random shots off behind her with her pistol. "Snap her out of what? She's part of the Gemmarex!" she scolded the kit as she skipped to the side after being grazed by a bullet. "It's not like you can magically change her mind. That stuff only works in fairy tales."

Tails only shook his head, tears floating in the air as he ran with her. He grasped her wrist and hid behind a tree, still trying to keep Sally under wraps. "Didn't you see the black in her eyes?" he asked her. When it came to her mind, Galaxina had to admit that she had seen the black tint in her irises. "That's a surefire sign that she's under control of Dark Chaos. I can cure her!"

Galaxina only shook her head, backing off a bit. "Not gonna happen, kid. I can't sugarcoat this for you," she admitted. "Your fancy nova tech isn't gonna bring her back. Didn't you tell me yourself that if the damage was caused too long ago, it wouldn't work?"

"But it's different this time!" he shouted back. "Light Chaos purifies Dark Chaos! I can bring her back!"

"Stop acting foolish, Tails! You can't bring her back."

"Yes, I can! You're being foolish," he accused her. He was about to lament further, but a he could hear a sharp screech in the distance, one particularly made by incoming missiles. He could only shove Galaxina away and demand her to run before the rocket-propelled grenade smashed into the tree, blasting him back and piercing him with wood from the tree.

Tails let out a gag from the intense pain that shot through him. The splintering wood rained into him like shrapnel, pinning him to the ground. He was nearly surprised that he didn't faint right then and there. As his vision blurred, he turned to find the blurry blue smudge in his eyes that he realized was Galaxina. "Run Galaxina!" he yelled at her, ignoring the pain in his gut. "Get out of here!"

Galaxina found herself torn as she watched her friend bleed out on the ground. She backed away slowly, noticing that Sally began to stand up, unscathed from the blast. Heeding her friend's warning, she left him behind and ran away. She could hear the Gemmarex cheering in their victory as she ran off into the distance, disappearing into the forest.

When she was sure she was out of danger, she sat back against a tree, tears welling in her eyes. She didn't know what would become of the kitsune, but she planned on finding out one way or another. She flipped open her communicator and waited till someone picked up. "Somebody, please! Tails was captured!"

_[Stop Music]_


	12. Chapter 12

**AN: Finally! Another chapter hath come! *ahem* Anyway, you're all probably wondering why I'm extra happy. Weeellll... I finally got a Beta-read, a close friend of mine, and she helped me out with this one. Give it up for... dark-pheonix-loves-kai! *claps profusely*  
**

**Disclaimer: I neither claim nor own anything from Sonic-X, Sega, Sonic Team, or any affiliated corporations. The music is only suggested and owned by the given group.**

**Claimer: I claim and own changed parts of the plot. I claim and own all characters not affiliated with the above mentioned.**

* * *

Vale Tempest

December-10-3199

21:16 Universal Time

_[Now Playing: __**"Skin to Bone" by: Linkin Park**__]_

"_Somebody, please! Tails was captured! If you're receiving this message, you must meet up with me on Planet Proditor if you have any hope for stopping the Gemmarex! My coordinates are as follows…" _

Vector sighed. This was the third time he had repeated the distress message, and he had already transmitted the coordinates to the computer and plotted a course for the Tempest to follow. He gave a growl, crushing the can of soda he had been drinking in his hand with ease. "Do you have _any _idea what kind of trouble your daughter has gotten herself in?" he muttered to Lucas, whom he had replayed the message to.

Lucas, consulting his wife and looking down at the fearful and tearful eyes of his children, only shook his head. Vector continued, "That distress signal was sent on an open frequency. For all we know, the enemy could have already pinpointed her position using those coordinates."

The father Thorndrigan gave a sigh, nodding to Vector. "Then we have to go down and rescue her," he said, feeling compelling concern for his eldest daughter.

Espio, standing by Vector's side, only gave a scoff. "We're getting both of them out, Galaxina _and_ Tails," he corrected them. "We leave no one behind."

Lucas raised his brow and crossed his arms. "Go in for him? You're suggesting we risk our lives for him? Risk the lives of us all for him?"

"We are, stupid!" Charmy suddenly shouted, whizzing up in front of Lucas' face. "What's wrong? Are you too _chicken_?"

The mocking that the bee played on Lucas enraged him, and Lucas growled. "It's completely illogical!" he retorted, stamping his foot on the ground firmly. "He might be smart, he might be skilled, but what more importance does he serve?"

Though Vector was about to give a harsh reply, Espio stopped him and took the recording, rewound it, and played from the middle: _"… If you have any hope for stopping the Gemmarex." _ He stopped it there and stared down Lucas. "You seem to be forgetting that even your daughter believes Tails is our only hope. He's the only one who has adept, natural control over the Light Chaos—the only thing that can counteract the Dark Chaos that runs the Gemmarex. He's our only hope."

Lucas frowned, lifting his hand to point an accusing finger at the chameleon. He was stopped however by Cosmo who had grabbed a hold of his arm. "Please father, we have to go help Tails!" she pleaded to him, the tears glistening in her eyes and on her cheek. "Like Vector said, he's the only one who can save us all. Don't you think it's only fair that we save him too?"

Hertia looked down at her child and ruffled her hair endearingly. "Even our youngest seems to be wiser than you right now, Lucas," she mused giving a sidelong glance to her stubborn husband. "Their point has been made… and don't you feel that you at least owe Tails this?"

Though reluctantly, Lucas finally conceded and gave a nod. He crossed his arms indignantly, looking away. "When are we supposed to be leaving?" he asked, tapping his foot impatiently. If they were going on a rescue mission, he wanted it to be over as soon as possible.

Everyone jolted a bit, when the ship finally came to a stop. Vector gave a smirk as he cracked the joint in his shoulder. "We leave now."

_[Stop Music]_

**/\/\/\/\|\/\/\/\/**

_**Syaoron the Fox presents**_

_**Fragmented Chaos**_

_**Chapter 12**_

_**What We're Fighting For**_

**/\/\/\/\|\/\/\/\/**

Planet Proditor

December-11-3199

2:17 Universal Time

_[Now Playing: __**"Sinéad" by: Within Temptation**__]_

Galaxina yawned, stretching her arms out. She had awoken in a clearing, the very one she had settled in. How she fell asleep, she knew not, but she did know what had woken her up. Rocket boosters above alerted her to an aircraft that was preparing to land near her. She raised hands over her tired eyes, covering them from the glare of a search light. When it had finally landed, the glaring lights remained on her, preventing her from seeing anything.

Galaxina cracked open her eyes, trying to see as he eyes adjusted to the fierce light. Her hearing caught the movement of figures shuffling through the grass and her limited vision caught silhouettes that were walking toward her. She gave a bright smile and a sigh of relief. "I thought you guys wouldn't find me for a while there," she said.

Even though she had said those words, identifying herself via voice, the figures began to retrieve items from their backs. She heard a cocking noise and gasped, feeling as though a lump was caught in her throat. Her eyes finally adjusted fully and she saw the armored figures moving toward her, the spiraling Gemmarex insignia blazing on their chest plates. "No…" she muttered, looking around her and seeing that she had been surrounded.

"Foolish little girl," one of them remarked; the emblem on his shoulder indicated that he was the leader of the platoon. "Your broadcast gave us your exact coordinates. You are coming with us."

They slowly encroached on her, tightening the circle. Galaxina retrieved a pistol from her hip, her arms too shaky to aim or shoot properly. Even at that, she felt the pistol pulled from her grip as a precisely aimed shot hit the gun. Defenseless and afraid, Galaxina whimpered as she was enclosed. She covered her face protectively, waiting for them to take her captive.

It never came. Only seconds later, another whizzing noise was heard overhead, and she heard the sharp sound of bullets flying around her. Galaxina opened her eyes to see a gunship flying around, its machine guns whirling and buzzing with noise.

The gunship soon landed when everything had been cleared. Galaxina looked around her, at muddled bodies of former threats, and bloody pools that dripped beneath them; she looked back toward the gunship and watched as the doors opened to reveal her saviors.

"Well, look at what we have here," Vector mused with a confident smirk as he strode out, Charmy and Espio at his sides. "Quite the mess you've gotten yourself in, Creampuff."

Galaxina held an embarrassed blush in her cheeks at the nickname. Before she could protest against it, she was strangled in an embrace from her younger sisters. "Starla, Cosmo, Daisy; what are you all doing here?" Galaxina asked, surprised.

The eldest Petali sister only needed to look up to find her answer, seeing her parents standing there. "We brought them along. They wanted to make sure their big sister was alright," Lucas answered her, patting Galaxina's shoulder.

Galaxina looked around at her family, feeling a few tears come to her eyes as she hugged her sisters back. "Thank you… all of you," she whispered her gratitude. She felt then that she could be happy and safe, at least for that moment.

Vector smiled at the happy family, wondering for a moment how it would feel to have a family. He shook the thoughts from his mind, remembering the motive they needed to accomplish. "C'mon guys. We still have to go and rescue Tails."

The Seedrian family looked back at him, feeling almost surprised that their reunion celebration was cut short. Galaxina, however, wiped her eyes of tears and nodded to the Crocodile. "Vector has a point," she said. A quiet giggle escaped her lips as she said this. "We still have to go rescue Tails from the Gemmarex."

"That is, if we know the location of their stronghold," Espio reminded them as he pulled a small projector from his pack. He laid it on the ground, projecting a holographic map with a blinking red dot on it. "We're right here. We need to find out where to fortress is."

"It's right here," Galaxina quickly pointed out a location on the map. "I saw it when me and Tails were infiltrating the city."

Espio nodded, keeping a stoic aura about him. "Very good. We should probably get going." The group agreed unanimously on this idea and they pressed on, traveling back through the forest from which Galaxina had escaped the Gemmarex pursuance.

_[Stop Music]_

"So, how exactly did you guys get discovered?" Cosmo asked Galaxina curiously. She walked by Galaxina's side, nearly clinging at her heels. Starla and Daisy followed shortly behind, listening to every word.

Galaxina sighed and shook her head. "Tails and I were investigating the area to see if we could gain a few allies to help us find the Chaos Emerald here," she explained. "The Gemmarex had already gotten to them though. Probably have the Chaos Emerald too. We were too late, and when we tried to hide out to learn a bit more, we got caught. I managed to escape. Tails wasn't so lucky."

Starla hummed, turning over to Daisy and whispering, "Five credits say Galaxina left Tails behind on purpose."

Daisy blinked and shook her head, turning to Starla and seeing the mischievous gleam in her hidden eyes. "Starla, how could you say that about Galaxina?" she scolded her. "Galaxina would never have done such a thing!"

Starla only shrugged and skipped on ahead. "It's still possible," she mused childishly. Daisy only gave an irritated groan.

Cosmo was still curious about what had happened. So many questions encroached on her, but she knew Galaxina wouldn't have time to answer all of them. She decided to start with the most important one. "Galaxina?"

The elder sister looked back down at her youngest sibling. "Yes, little one?"

Cosmo twiddled her thumbs, her cheeks flushed, wondering how she would ask the question she intended to. "Was Tails… was he hurt at all?"

Galaxina sighed a bit, shaking her head. She could hear the shaky concern in Cosmo's voice so evidently, it wasn't hidden at all. "You really do care about him, don't you?" she asked, a question to which Cosmo failed to respond. "Last I saw, he was bleeding heavily. I heard that the Gemmarex want him alive though, so I think they'll patch him up."

"Do you think he'll be okay?"

Galaxina gave a nod. "Sure. As long as he's being a good prisoner, he should be fine."

Cosmo sighed, still feeling unfulfilled by the answered questions. "What do they want him so badly for? If he's their only real threat, why not just kill him?"

Galaxina widened her eyes. She hadn't expected a question like that. She thought deeply about it, trying to come up with a reasonable answer, but he shook her head and gave a sigh at last. "I don't know, Cosmo," she muttered. "I just don't know."

Up ahead, leading them, Lucas gave an unsure glance over to his wife. "Hertia… are you sure this is a good idea?" he asked her, wrapping his arm around her waist. "What if one of us gets hurt? What if our daughters get hurt? What then?"

Hertia sighed and leaned her head on Lucas' firm shoulder. "Then we do what parents do. We care for our children. It's just the price we have to pay for getting involved," she murmured.

"We're almost there," Vector spoke up, directing their attention to the looming edifice before them. The dome shaped fortress was plated in thick metal and looked nearly impenetrable from where they were. "The question now is how will we get in?"

Lucas frowned, glancing over to Vector. "Surely you don't expect us to waltz through the front door?" he asked. Lucas was referencing to gates of steel that stood as the entrance. Guards marched in front of it constantly, giving few openings. "Perhaps you'd prefer us to perform a tap-dance? And I'm sure we'll tip our hats to them and sidestep right on in?"

"Shut up," Espio suddenly barked, gazing intently at the guards. He widened his eyes as he suddenly saw the guards switch with some others. "Did you see that? It took them seven minutes to change the guard. Vector, do you think that's enough time?"

"Definitely," Vector answered with a slight nod, watching as two of the guards—one burly, the other slim—receded to the perimeter. "Let's take them out."

Espio and Vector charged away, moving nearly silently. Lucas was about to question what was going on, but Charmy shushed him with a finger. "Quiet," he whispered. "Espio and Vector have this under control. Seriously, leave the big shot jobs t us professionals."

Daisy snickered and looked at him slyly. "You're a professional?" she asked snidely.

Charmy pouted and looked away, keeping a stiff upper lip. "To an extent," he grumbled, hiding his blush.

Charmy managed to save face when two figures in Gemmarex armor approached them. Hertia gasped while Lucas drew a weapon and aimed it at them. "Get away," Lucas growled, "Or else…"

There was a moment of silence before the burly one gave a haughty laugh, muffled by his helmet. He removed the helmet to reveal Vector's familiar face. "Fooled ya, huh?" he asked them, smiling. "That's good. That's the idea."

The figure next to Vector took off his helmet, showing that he was Espio. "Right," he said, nodding to them. "Now, here's how this is gonna work. We are Gemmarex soldiers, and you are all our prisoners. Once we bypass security and get inside, we'll release you. That's when you start searching for Tails' holding cell."

Espio and Vector then took a couple ropes and tied their hands together, preventing them from doing anything dexterous. "This has to look realistic when we get in there, or we'll all get caught," Espio reminded them as he put his helmet back on. Vector did the same. "We're going to march in there. Make sure you play your part well."

Then, with Vector leading the front and Espio bringing up the rear, they marched up to the gate. They checked out with the guards and verified their identification codes—courtesy of Espio and Vector's thorough tactics. Of course, even with the heightened security, they were easily let in for bringing in high-priority prisoners. "How does it feel to be on the Gemmarex's most wanted?" Vector asked them.

Taking time to think of an answer, Starla spoke up, "It sucks."

"That's what I imagined."

As soon as they were clear of any other security checkpoints, Vector sighed and removed the infuriatingly stuffy helmet. "Alright guys, we gotta be fast. Knock a few guards out and steal their armor if you need to."

Giving one last nod of confirmation to all of them, Vector nodded. "Head out!"

^/\^|v\/v

_[Now Playing: __**"Remnants" by: Disturbed**__]_

Chained to the wall of a dank, cold, steel cell, Tails dared to look up. He had been resting for some time, trying to regain his strength. The panging burn of pain still lingered in his abdomen where he was pierced with bullets and wood, but it had died down. He wondered about giving up right there. He was captured, tired, and hardly awake; he felt as though he were weighed upon by lead.

There was no time to rest as he was disheartened to find out. He looked up, hearing his cell door open. He vaguely heard his name called, by a voice that had always been so kind to him. He looked up at the squirrel that had been his aunt at one time. And then he saw her cold, black eyes, so devoid of any kind of kindness or relenting. "What is it you want, Sally?" he finally asked.

Sally only gritted her teeth, her fists adorned with white knuckles. "Why are you so special?" she asked gruffly, trying to convey all her anger into her words. "I've been trying to get a seat with the high-generals for weeks. Why does Dark Spinel want a scrawny traitor like you as one of his own?"

Tails would have questioned then and there why his former brother still wanted him. Instead, he gave a smirk. "Maybe you're just not as good as this _scrawny traitor_, eh?" he taunted her. This only earned him a strong punch to the gut.

"Shut your mouth, runt!"

Tails lunged out with his bionic arm, trying to transform it into his power cannon but finding that he couldn't. He blinked and looked at his arms, noticing the static that ran along it. "Nice try, mutant," Sally said with a smirk. "We've disabled your fabled arm. See if you can get out now."

Much as the young kit struggled, he couldn't. He breathed a few heavy breaths after hearing the words she spoke to him. How dare she refer to him as a mutant; his own aunt! He bit his lip to try and hold back a few tears. "Stop this…" he muttered to her, nearly in desperation. "I know you're in there, Aunt Sally. Why would you say those things to me?"

Sally growled and slapped him across the face. She was seething with anger at the kit. "Shut up! Just stop your stupid blathering and be quiet!" she said, glaring at him with black eyes of hatred. "Why should you get such a high position? You're nothing but a brat; a worthless little mutant who crawls the universe in hope that you can find someone else to feed off of!"

The kit was hurt deeply by her words. She had once been an inspiration to him, and a comforting person who helped him when he was in need. Now, Sally was a twisted, hateful woman, infected with the dark powers of chaos. Even then, the words hurt. He felt his anger boil to a level he had never felt before.

"I mean, what is Dark Spinel thinking! Entrusting someone like you with power like that. Power you could never fathom! And he'd just give it away to this helpless child! _I _should be the one with that promotion!"

Tails gritted his teeth, feeling an unusual power rise in him. "Shut up…"

Sally never heard him as she continued her rant. "How could you ever live up to standards like that? You're just a scrawny, prepubescent, mutated freak!"

Tails felt something snap. Something in his mind tore away from all good emotions and concentrated solely on his anger, enflaming it till it burned and itched like a sore. And after enough irritation, the sore finally burst, and the ugly anger swelled within was let out. Tails thrashed, feeling a burst of sudden power flow through his veins. His fur darkened to black and his eyes reddened. An evil grin stretched onto his face as he looked back up at Sally.

"What is this?" Sally gasped, backing away from the surge of dark power. She felt as though her own soul were being oppressed and crushed under the massive power. "What on Mobius is this power?!"

Tails gave a mere smirk as he tugged free from the restraints with ease. "This is your nightmare," he growled. "Say goodbye to everything."

_[Stop Music]_

^/\^|v\/v

_[Now Playing: __**"Sound of Madness" by: Shinedown**__]_

The loud crash could be heard throughout the entire base. When Tails' rescuing party had gathered back together, all confirming that they had heard the noise, they rushed to the scene of the noise. Gemmarex soldiers rushed past them, not even caring that they were unguarded and imposters. Something big was going on.

When they arrived at the scene, it was a bloodbath. Tails stood in the midst of the bloodshed, dark energy crackling in his hands as he blasted away at Gemmarex soldiers. Body parts and blood were strewn about, painting the walls a vengeful red.

Sally had still somehow managed to survive. The reason for this was the green Chaos Emerald she held in her hands, surrounding her in a ward. "Try me fox," she said, glaring at the fox with fierce eyes. She launched a volley of chaos spears at Tails, which he easily dodged.

Tails lunged forward for Sally, slicing at her with hands charged with deadly amounts of dark chaos. Sally only barely managed to dodge to the side in time. She didn't dodge the second hit though, when Tails planted his hand on the ground and whipped around a low kick, sending Sally reeling.

The squirrel flipped over, firmly rooting herself to the ground when she landed. Just as Tails was lunging at her, she fired her fist full of chaos energy and smacked him down. When the chaos powered kit backed away and reeled from the blow, she lunged forward for a kick. Just when she thought she had the upper hand, Tails regained his focus and, with a glint in his eyes, vanished before her.

"What? Where did you go?" Sally shouted in amazement, backing away slowly to try and regain her composure. She was a little too late to notice the dark aura behind her, and when she turned to meet the anger filled face of Tails, she nearly gasped. Tails whipped around his namesakes and ensnared Sally within their grasp. With a powerful swing, Tails flung Sally in the opposite direction and the squirrel hit the steel wall with a hard thud.

Sally had surely broken something as she stumbled to her feet. She drew on the emerald's power in hopes of gaining enough strength to turn the tides on Tails. She drew on the power until she glowed with an eerie green light. The light faded when she gathered her energy in her right hand and thrust it forward, shooting out a laser of Dark Chaos energy. "See how you like that, fox!"

Sally heaved a few breaths after firing the blue beam, hoping she had caught the fox unaware. When she looked up to see her fallen enemy, she only found that her attack had failed. Tails had held out his hand, absorbing all the Dark Chaos energy. _Purifying… he's purifying it? _She wondered, amazed by what she saw. When Tails crackled with Light Chaos energy, he thrust his hand forward and gave a loud war cry, firing his own laser of bright yellow color. The laser impacted Sally, and though she attempted to resist, she was overcome with the might of the power and engulfed in the berating energy.

Even after releasing all that energy, Tails went into a further rampage in his anger and sadness. Tails blasted off to another section of the base, soldiers charging after him subsequently. In the wake of the terror, the Seedrian family ran over to Sally. She was beginning to stir, her eyes blinking open to reveal the original deep blue they had once been. She gave a groan and stumbled into Galaxina, who held her steady. Sally looked up to the eldest of the sisters and blinked. "It's you…" she whispered, trying to recall things. "You're that Seedrian girl we had captured."

"Remembering things now, are you Princess?" Galaxina asked her skeptically. It seemed as though Sally had regained the sense of her original self. "What got Tails all fired up like this?"

Sally shook his head, clutching her temple as she sighed. "I… I held him captive," she whispered. "I talked him down and said all those horrible things to him. I can't believe I said such mean things to him…"

Galaxina looked back up to her parents. "She's in a bit of shock," she said, holding the weakened Sally in her arms. "I'll get her to safety. You need to find a way to calm down Tails."

Lucas nodded to Galaxina, trusting her with the task of caring for the Mobian Princess. As he stood up to trying and figure out what to do, he blinked and looked at his children. "Wait… where's Cosmo?"

_[Stop Music]_

Cosmo, during the mass confusion and chaos, had run down the halls, following the path of Tails' destruction. She tried to ignore the clenching of her stomach when she passed by dead and mutilated bodies of Mobians. It took all her will not to vomit there from all the gore, for she felt deep in her heart that she had to find Tails.

She found the kit among the bloodshed. He was covered in the dry blood of his enemies, and some of his own, though it was hard to see on his black fur. He still seemed angered, and he sent a glare off in another direction. Cosmo felt tears well up in her eyes when she looked into Tails' eyes, seeing all the pain and hurt he was feeling.

Cosmo knew that her actions were stupid, even though her intentions were pure. She lunged at Tails, enveloping the kit in a hug as she cried onto him. "Please Tails, just stop all this!" she shouted at him, choking through her tears.

Tails seemed unmoved, and he only looked at the young Petali girl that was no older than he. He felt in the cockles of his vague memory that he had seen her somewhere, but his dark emotions and powers kept it blocked away.

Cosmo still clung to him though, even though every fiber of her being screamed at her to get away from the oppressive force. Still, she spoke, "Please Tails… I know you're in there somewhere. Sally is sorry for all this, you know. She never meant to do what he did to you. Please… just come back to us. Come back to your family."

A million moments flashed in one. All of the time Tails had spent with the Seedrian family, their adventures and mishaps, their sorrows and successions, even their times of greatness and weakness came rushing back to the kit in an instant. Tears well in Tails' eyes as the dark power he possessed slowly vanished. He looked up at her, into her tearful eyes and he gave a soft smile. "My family…" he merely whispered as he curled up into her grasp.

Cosmo only sat there, rubbing the kit's head and to comfort him. She let a single tear fall on his cheek, a smile stretching its way onto her face. "That's right, Tails," she whispered. "Come home to your family."


End file.
